


RECOMPOSƎ

by Ladywolvesbayne



Category: Halo
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Tragedy, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Multi, Psychological Drama, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-21 23:28:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 190,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3707393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladywolvesbayne/pseuds/Ladywolvesbayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He accepted it, even when her loss was tearing him apart. John did what a soldier does: he kept moving, almost non-stop. There was only one way to go, away from her and the memories of her death.<br/>A year and a few months after Cortana's demisal, John returns to active service aboard the UNSC Infinity just to find out that a human female was captured trying to avoid security; a female whose features, voice and wits are the very same of the Cortana he once knew in digital form. Her will to get back to her SPARTAN was stronger than anything, because they promised to take care of each other.<br/>She was his shield and sword, but now she's fragile and desperate, she needs him. Cortana is not the only one who avoided Death. John may have neutralized the Didact, but now he faces a greater threat: the sins of his past. And his biggest sin was to let her find her way beneath his skin.<br/>He may be the target, but he's not the only one in danger.<br/>The universe just became a far more dangerous place to live in.</p><p>M FOR VIOLENCE AND ADULT THEMES<br/>Set between H4 and H5 - Tangent timeline ignoring few facts and subplots from Halo: Escalation - Romance/Adventure/SciFi - Human!Cortana - Lots of plot twists!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. FOREWORD

**AUTHOR NOTE:** I’M FREAKING OUT. YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW MANY THINGS ABOUT THE ACTUAL CANON OF HALO 5 I NAILED WITH THIS STORY WHEN I STARTED WRITING IT BACK IN FEBRUARY, 2015. I AM SO FUCKING SHOCKED. I CAN’T EVEN. I JUST WATCHED THE CUTSCENES AND I CAN’T EVEN…

**_Set between the events of H4 and H5 - Tangent timeline ignoring very few facts and subplots from Halo: Escalation - Romance/Adventure/SciFi - Human!Cortana - Lots and lots of plot twists! SERIOUSLY. This story should be called "plot twist" instead._ **

**FULL SYNOPSIS:**

He somehow accepted it, even when her loss was tearing him apart. John did what a soldier does: he kept moving, almost non-stop. There was only one way to go and it was forward, away from her and the memories of her death.

A year and a few months after Cortana's demisal, John returns to active service aboard the UNSC  _Infinity_ just to find out that a human female was captured trying to avoid security; a female whose features, voice and wits are the very same of the Cortana he once knew in digital form. Her will to get back to her SPARTAN was stronger than anything, because they promised to take care of each other.

She was his shield and sword, but now she's fragile and desperate, she needs him. Cortana is not the only one who avoided Death. John may have neutralized the Didact for good, but now he faces a greater threat: the sins of his past. And his biggest sin was to let her find her way beneath his skin.

He may be the target, but he's not the only one in danger.

_The universe just became a far more dangerous place to live in._

**_RATED M FOR VIOLENCE AND ADULT THEMES_ **

**_++Only the writing, some OCs and original content created for this story belong to me. This story cannot be reposted, redistributed or sold without my consent or Bungie, Microsoft and 343 Industries's.Read and review! Be nice. This is just fanfiction and not official lore._ ** **_  
_ **


	2. Distant Echo

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**1\. DISTANT ECHO**

 

**APRIL 3RD, 2557 - 2 WEEKS AFTER THE EVENTS OF NEW PHOENIX**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

 

John never slept much in his life -SPARTANS were trained for efficiency, and it required to be operative as long as possible- but lately he was sleeping less than ever. As in _nothing at all_. He knew that was bad, but couldn't help it. He did not want to stay put, it was unbearable. Whenever he sat down for more than five minutes, John started thinking about things he did not want to think about. Mostly, about _her last words_. Whenever he closed his eyes, he kept seeing her sad, beautiful face, when she thanked him from the bottom of her cybernetic heart for his service and friendship. And then, despair. Only the familiar weight of the MJOLLNIR and the rifle in his hands kept the thoughts away, hidden in some dark corner of his mind where they could not hurt anyone. _Where they could not harm him._

Of course, John did not say a word about it. He wasn't much of a talker anyway.

Commander Palmer first suggested him to rest. Then, she made it an order. Later, she filed a report to keep him away from duty when she found him in the cargo bay of the _Infinity_ ready to go out with a scouting party, merely a week after he was recovered from the debris of the Didact's ship. She said something about it not being right, John wasn't paying attention. And hence he wasn't paying attention and she realized it, Palmer sent him to the medical bay to get a full exam. The leading medical officer diagnosed him with PTSD after a series of tests, as John himself was suspecting.

Everybody could see right thru him: something was off with the Master Chief.

Captain Lasky approved with much interest the medical recommendation of a twelve-month leave and private counseling with an UNSC psychologist. John dismissed the last idea right there, the only person capable of analyzing him that deep was in the other corner of the galaxy, imprisoned, and he would never get enough clearance to even see her. Then Lasky made it an order, and since they shared a kind of respect that went far beyond military ranks, John complied. The leave and the counseling were meant to help him, he tried to get that into his head. No more denial, no cryo-sleeping his problems away this time.

It could also be just like Captain Del Rio said once, that he was aging.

True, he never felt more old or tired. But John knew deep inside that his age wasn't the problem, war machines as honed as him worked perfectly until they got blown off the ground. This was something else.

They said SPARTANS did not know of fear or remorse. That they felt nothing.

John could prove them wrong, if he cared. In his chest there was this hollow place, like a black hole ever expanding since the day he lost her _,_ swallowing his sanity away. Because that was how it felt like: it was a loss, she wasn't the only person he cared about but was his best friend, even if she wasn't a real person at all. Cortana felt real to him, and it was enough. She had a smile he could see, a laugh he could hear and a personality he liked a lot, once. She understood him. _She was real to him_.

Now Cortana was gone. He kept the chip safe, like a charm close to his heart underneath the plates of his armor, but he could feel it was empty. It did not matter how many times he tried to plug that thing in the first terminal he could find, when nobody was looking. The result was always the same: a redundant error message in the screen. A painful error message.

They say that SPARTANS never die.

Then, why did he felt like a part of him was already dead?

 

**JUNE 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: CLASSIFIED**

**4:14 PM standard time**

The mission was going smoothly, not a big deal in any way. There wasn't much danger implied in escorting a convoy of raw materials across a deserted area infested with dangerous wildlife beyond the occasional warning shot to scare away the bugs. Or plainly shot the bugs that managed to get way too close. It was John's "comeback" assignment and it felt right to start with something light, now that the war was at a certain impasse. An ample faction of the Covenant and the UNSC joined forces a few months back in order to locate, investigate and disarm the Halo installations and any other Forerunner technology, something that proved to be a wise choice for both. The Arbiter himself proposed the truce in behalf of his followers and it was fully accepted by the UNSC command after a careful evaluation.

It did not mean that the war was over for good, but it was a very welcome break.

John turned the warthog in a corner of the road, gracefully. Red dirt flushed in the wind, in the long horizon there was a sandstorm building up but according to the weather report, the entire convoy would be safe and sound in its destination by the time the storm could rise at its full rage.

"So, Chief... mind if I ask how did you spend your leave?" Palmer said, out of camaraderie. There wasn't much to do anyway besides from keeping an ear on the radio.

He kept his eyes on the rocky road, on occasion side-glancing the cliff at the right of the vehicle. Behind them, in the turret seat, DeMarco was carefully overhearing.

"I traveled a lot." John answered her, respectfully.

"Way to go, sir. Sounds like fun." said the SPARTAN in the back.

"I've never been that long on Earth before and it felt like a good thing to do after I was discharged from counseling. I even got a dog from the UNSC K-9 division."

"A dog?" Palmer leaned in a bit. "What kind of dog?"

"Military breed*. " he said, "Her name is Charley."

Palmer smiled behind her helmet.

"Nice, indeed. It's good to see you back in check, Chief."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Seems like we are gonna make it early." stated DeMarco, cheerfully. "Man, I'm dying for a shower, all of this sand is making me sore."

"I wonder how come is that possible, since the undersuits are sealed." Palmer said, amused.

DeMarco groaned. "It just feels itchy everywhere."

John didn't say anything but he could agree with DeMarco, he felt itchy as well. Maybe it was because the undersuits were brand new, the new armor needed some adjustments too. Nothing that couldn't be fixed.

He frowned slightly at the thought of fixing things. 

They've been in the sandy road for almost nine hours with less than half an hour of rest. Behind their warthog rolled six heavy-duty sealed trucks loaded with cargo, sixteen civilians and a closing escort of the other four SPARTANS from fireteam Majestic. Back in the _Infinity_ , when Hoya raised his hand and questioned his superior about taking a few Pelicans instead of traveling those dirty roads, Palmer commented something very scientific about the magnetic winds, the gravity of the planet and the fragility of the cargo. Tedra translated it for Hoya in few words as a task strictly for land vehicles.

The convoy turned around another corner and got out of the cliffs, down into a narrow red and rocky valley. In the long distance, a bit ahead of the rising sandstorm, the curvy shape of five crystal domes saluted them with radiant reflections of sunlight. The UNSC scientific base of Red Tusk.

"Say, Commander." interrupted Madsen, via comm. "I heard a new group of scientists will be boarding the _Infinity_ today, from Earth. We're seeing a lot of new faces around with all this thing of the truce."

"Yes, they most likely have arrived by now." responded Palmer, calmly.

"I hope there are some _interesting faces_ this time." sighed Madsen.

"For your sake, I guess we all hope for the same." said Tedra, laughing.

"People, keep it together." snarled DeMarco, surprisingly grumpy. "This channel is for important information, not chatter."

John chuckled, his comm channel closed.

His HUD focused in the distant crystal structure and imprinted some significant data about the facility. The entrance was pointed in bright green. This new AI assigned to the entire Majestic team was silent but efficient. The name was Sigrid and she wasn't much of a cheerful person or quite smart either, it was more like a robot and responded only to command. It felt right that way, somehow.

After a year, John was much more capable of thinking about Cortana without feeling something falling apart inside. He just had to focus in the happy moments. The memories of her chatter, of her jokes, of her compliments, of those small conversations they used to hold privately in closed comm while traveling across the galaxy. Once he realized he would always remember and cherish those memories of her, it became easier and easier. To let go, to keep up, to get over it.

It wasn't about forgetting Cortana, it was about moving forward.

A small part of him still held some hope, yet. Last summer on Earth, he found out that Dr. Halsey had willingly escaped from military custody with a group of Covenant rebels during a complicated situation. He made a call and had to get a special clearance for it. Palmer filled him in with some of the details, she was clearly angry and six months after the event the UNSC still had no information about the Doctor's whereabouts, neither heard about any actions that could be her responsibility.

John actually discovered it because he received an encrypted transmission, a few days after the escape.

It said simply _"I'm sorry, John. I cared about her too. I promise I will make it up to you."_

That was obviously Dr. Halsey. Who else could've find him, tell him such words? Who else could've fired up his hope so much? After checking in with Palmer, he thought it could be a trap from the Covenant rebels, a vile trick to lure him out into space again and kill him at last. It would be a low blow but still, very effective. A few months early, John could have considered answering the mysterious call, to go after the signal unto his own death -or freedom-, but he was getting better. _He knew better, the chip he secretly kept was still there_.

It meant nothing. Six months later he returned to active service, and still nothing had changed. He was in the driver seat of a rattling warthog with a new team. And Cortana was still gone.

 

**JUNE 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**8:17 PM standard time**

John made his way straight to the SPARTAN bay of the _Infinity_ , after landing and debriefing. He intended to talk with his head armor technician and share his concerns about the adjustments the new MJOLLNIR model needed, then pay a visit to Charley in the K-9 quarters and spend some time with her, finally hit the showers before his evening meal turn. In the meantime, Roland informed over the main comm channel of the _Infinity_ about a gathering scheduled for next day, the presentation of the new scientists recently arrived. The smart AI reminded to all officers to be present on the main deck for the event.

After settling things with his technician, John was enthusiastically received by a massive brown furred dog with a natural black mantle over her back. It was probably of the size of a small pony with teeth as big as his pinky finger, but still quite serene and pretty much the type of dog that could match the proportions for a SPARTAN soldier. John kneeled down before Charley and she sat as well, stomping fast on the floor with her heavy tail. Charley barked and whined, ears straight up. Then, she licked anxiously the hand John showed her, and tapped it with her own paw.

Well, at least someone missed him while he was gone.

"I missed you too, girl." John said, and tapped the dog softly in the head.

The other dogs in their quarters whined as well, the caretakers were feeding them at that moment.

"You can take her out for a walk if you like, Chief." said Corporal Jenko, the lead caretaker of the K-9 unit. She took a glance of the tall figure of the massive man, still dressed in his tight silver undersuit and boots. "She's been in here all day, just waiting for you. You sure know how to make an impression in a girl, sir."

He didn't know what to answer, at first.

But Jenko's smile was as big as her face. No wonder why the dogs loved her.

"Thank you, Corporal. I'll bring her right back." said John, seriously.

"See you later, then."

He stood up and exited the quarters, Charley followed. There was no need for a leash or anything of the sort, the dog was well trained and knew very well not to wander away from her human friend who smelled quite funny for a human. Her silver dog-tags tingled in the air pending from her red tactical collar, cheerfully, with every jumpy step Charley took beside John's long strides. The main corridor was pretty much concurred, it was almost time for the first turn of evening meals.

"Well, we have exactly thirty minutes." John mumbled, still walking.

Charley perked her ears up, looking at him with smart brown eyes. She whined.

"I need the shower, you get bathed once a week. Let's go for a run, shall we?"

He started trotting, Charley followed again. Then she ran and he followed, making the turn towards the main elevators through the medical bay. John tried to stop her, dogs running loose across the ship were against regulation, but people seemed happy to see a carefree oversized animal passing by. Most of them cheered in good mood. They finally reached the elevators and Charley sat down in the metallic floor, waiting for him.

"OK, where do we go now?" John asked, when he faced the dog again.

Charley barked twice. Two floors up, it was; the scientists and officers' decks.

While the elevator's doors remained closed, John crouched beside the dog and petted her neck and behind her ears, earning a few sticky licks across his cheek and temple. He chuckled and tried to clean his face up. Charley didn't care about his slightly graying hair or the ever-mournful look in his blue eyes, she reached deeper than that and understood him in a different way. She made him feel at ease, a bit more comfortable with himself. That was priceless to John.

In some way, that dog reminded him _of a certain someone_.

John stood straight again when the elevator doors opened. They both exited and kept trotting across the officer's deck, and a moment later a message entered his private comm channel. It was Roland's neutral voice, Captain Lasky requested SPARTAN Sierra-117's presence in the strategic command, immediately. That was another deck up, right behind the _Infinity_ 's control bridge.

He looked at the dog. She looked back at him, waiting. She flopped an ear.

Well, the message did say "immediately"...

"Behave, Charley. We're going to see the Captain." John commanded, serious.

The dog shut her muzzle closed and stood in a very professional fashion, her ears pointing at the ceiling. It was quite the sight, actually, such a massive dog walking proud beside such a massive man. John tried to restrain a small smile to no avail, Charley didn't break character. They headed back to the elevator and went another floor up. He supposed it was an ordinary meeting with the Captain just to check how he was doing, it was his first day back in service after all.

John didn't expect anything wrong, to say the truth.

Palmer was expecting him when the doors opened again. She was still wearing her armor and her face seemed a bit pale, alongside with her slightly furrowed brow. That's when he knew something wasn't right.

His pulse flickered. Charley stepped closer to him, vigilant, leaning on his leg.

"Is that your dog?" Palmer said, uneasy.

"We were in the middle of a walk, ma'am." he apologized, clearing his throat.

"Never mind. Follow me, Chief."

John walked behind Commander Palmer until they entered the bridge and crossed into another floor of the same deck, the holo-table was on and showing an immense amount of strange data. Roland was almost juggling with the vibrant words, at the same time trying to explain something to the concurrence. John paid attention, but something didn't make any sense, starting with the fact that there was an unusual lot of people at the deck, including fireteam Majestic with their weapons drawn and pointing at a small figure dressed in white. From that distance he could not see who it was, but sure it was someone dangerous or suspicious.

Charley pressed her side on John's leg, again. She shot her ears back.

She wasn't scared, but the opposite.

Commander Palmer made a small sign with her hand and drew Captain Lasky's attention. John and the dog stood behind, he immediately seized his posture and saluted, Charley sat her butt on the black floor and stood firm too, like the pro she was. Captain Lasky greeted him back, his face was as worried as Palmer's. He didn't mind the dog.

"At ease, Chief. Please, come along, let's see if you can help us make some sense out of this."

"I'll try my best, sir. What is it?"

They walked, Charley closely to her master, protective.

"I'm not sure at all, to be honest." started Lasky, doubting. "We captured her boarding the _Infinity_ about five hours ago along with the new scientist crew, Roland detected her through the security cameras. She was immediately seized, of course. She answered all of our questions in good will and the medical board gave her a green, but still... I wanted you to see her, Chief. Before making a decision, that is."

"What decision are we implying?"

"One that I don't want to regret."

John's pulse flickered again. Halsey? No, there will be a lot more fuzz if it was her. All of the high brass would be there, too, and she would be locked under seven keys in a high security cell by the time.

"I understand. Who is it?"

"She identified herself as Cortana, Chief."

Now his pulse nearly stopped, as his head shot right back to the other side of the table, where fireteam Majestic stood aside to reveal the small frame of a human female dressed in a white and gray lab coat, her black hair short to the chin and bright, shiny like a raven's wing. Big rifles were still pointing at her, but her radiant blue eyes opened big as she recognized him, as her smile broke open in a very familiar fashion, a hopeful grin. Everyone turned to look at him, obviously expecting something John did not know how to deliver.

He couldn't do anything. Neither move nor speak.

Her skin was pale, humanly pale. She was a solid entity, that was clear.

"Chief." she said, her voice natural and joyful. "It's been a while. You look nice."

He just stood there, breathing slowly, trying to contain it. His strong features were solid as rock and nothing transpired from that face, corded muscle across his body tight in tension, as well; it was impossible to say what he was thinking from the outside. Inside it was the exact opposite: he was a dam about to break. The silence took over the deck, right away, disrupted only by slow beeps from the ever running ship instruments. He felt so fucking helpless without his armor to cover up the slight tremor of his fists. It probably would've been much more easy if he could hide his face behind an orange visor and think about what to do. There was no training whatsoever for this kind of situation.

Charley reached his hand and slowly licked the clenched fist. She whined.

How many times he wished for a chance to see Cortana again? To hear her?

There she was. And she said that _he looked nice_. Nice, for God's sake. She looked very much alive, very much human. Very much like the Cortana he spend an entire year trying not to think so much about. So real, almost like a dream -or a nightmare-. Her smile faded, as time passed by and he didn't show any reaction.

It made him sad, somehow.

Then she took a breath and straightened her shoulders, assuming a more serious attitude. The woman looked over to Captain Lasky:

"May I?" she said, pointing at the guns with her finger.

"Carefully." the Captain approved. Beside him, Commander Palmer stood even more firm, ready to pounce or draw her weapon.

Cortana took a step forward, then another, heading straight to John. The weapons followed her, fireteam Majestic closed their positions behind the small woman. She stood a few feet away from John, facing his colossal stature with a very concerned look in her blue eyes. She was almost two feet smaller than him. He could almost smell her, from that distance.

He really wanted to say anything, but...

"Cortana... " John breathed, almost in a huff. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know." she said, softly. "You know I don't miss a chance to brag about my wits, but this time, Chief... I don't know. I can't remember what happened after I said goodbye, I thought it was the end of it. But it's good to see you, once again."

She blinked fast to keep the tears of joy away, trying to control herself. It wasn't safe, not yet. DeMarco shot a doubtful glance at Thorne, behind her back. The younger SPARTAN shrugged a little. After a short moment of silence, John unclasped a broche from his undersuit and slid a hand inside, only to bring out a simple steel chain that held his dog-tags and a black chip, a hollow memory card. He held the chip in front of her. Cortana's eyes opened even more, surprise and remorse filling her pupils; she took a few more steps and her hands grabbed the card, carefully.

From that short distance, she looked up. She found those familiar bright blue eyes and knew she was home, finally.

"You kept this." she murmured, softly.

"I made you a promise."

Cortana broke a wide smile again, in a way that made his pulse race a bit.

"I like your dog."

"Her name is Charley. I'm not sure she likes you, yet." he commented.

She pursed her lips, her face showed instant hurt, but she didn't took her eyes off his. John could read her like an open book, he saw a wave of sorrow crossing her features and felt something grow cold inside of him.

"You know it's me, Chief... don't you?" Cortana whispered, just for the two of them to hear.

He looked at her hands clasped around the black card pending on a chain from his neck. In that moment, John took a small glance at one of her wrists, almost distracted by her intoxicating scent of a real person. Soft and feminine, so warm...

_He saw a small Forerunner glyph tattooed in Cortana's skin._

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

_*I can imagine that there are no such thing as dogs aboard the UNSC ships. That's all mine. Let's say that "military breeds" are dogs specially bred for military uses, John got an "improved" breed of German Shepherd if you like -I picture them quite bigger than the original dog, faster and smarter-. Animals help fight depression and I think that would not change much in the future... also, John seems to me like the kind of guy that could take good care of a dog. It's kind of a nice picture, don't you think?_

**_It will continue, soon enough. Follow so you won't miss the update, and review if you have anything to say or correct! Remember, PMs are also welcome, let's get in touch! :)_ **

****

**_PD: SORRY for the lousy English!!_ **


	3. Mirror Mask

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**2\. MIRROR MASK**

 

**JUNE 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**8:47 PM standard time**

 

He wasn't entirely innocent, she knew that. He was an adult male of a certain age, and despite everything he'd been through, the augmentations, the isolation, the iniquities and the success, John wasn't ignorant neither stupid. _Soldiers often talk_. She knew he was curious about certain subjects and never felt ashamed of asking questions, even if it was about something basic, something everybody else knew. It was natural for him. She used to answer those questions whenever he expressed his desire for information; he always paid attention to her words very carefully, with respect.

Her answers were precious to him.

That _one particular question_ was like explaining the rainbow to a man born blind. It was difficult for her too, since she actually never experienced anything of the sort and her counsel was merely technical, mostly about mechanics, chemistry, morals and procedures. It was difficult now as well, because she had no explanation for her sudden existence in the world of the living beings made of flesh and bone. This was far more complicated than explaining the theory of human breeding.

Handling information used to be one of her strongest features, and yet...

Between the two of them there was always this _intensity_ implied. Some sort of connection. It was still there, she felt a powerful rush of adrenaline when John grabbed her by the arm and escorted her to the officer's deck. It was an overwhelming feeling. Captain Lasky decided that she would remain imprisoned in closed quarters under heavy guard until something made sense. Cortana looked at him, while they walked -she found quite difficult to follow his long strides- and more than once John looked back at her, but didn’t say anything. Nobody said anything. The silent brown dog followed them all the way as fireteam Majestic did too, weapons still drawn.

There was no violence whatsoever, just the serene strength of his powerful hand, fingers clasped around her slender arm. She became fully aware about her own fragility, of the real size of that hand. But he did not hurt her; John would never do such a thing.

At least something was still the same.

 

**JUNE 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:23 PM standard time**

 

John stood in front of the mirror, quietly. Anyone who entered the collective bathrooms of that deck would find a very tall man staring at his own reflection with an inexpressive face. Some others maybe would walk out faster and find another bathroom, leaving him alone. He tried to focus. He couldn't just loose it over something like this, possibly a well elaborated trap from the Covenant rebels. Or anyone else, if not the Covenant. She could be a spy. An undercover assassin. A biological bomb or another kind of twisted weapon. She could've been brainwashed, blackmailed, even hired for the job.

She was pretty as a picture, perfect. _Too damn perfect_.

Psychological warfare, now? Come on. The Covenant could do better.

"Your duty is to protect the people aboard this ship." John said to himself, out loud. "Until you can prove it otherwise, she's a threat."

He stared once more into his own eyes, just breathing slowly.

After leaving the bathroom, John found a small emergency terminal attached to a wall. He plugged the black chip in the proper port, just to make sure. The error message flashed in light blue across the screen, on and off, on and off, until he wasn't sure how to feel about it anymore.

 

**JUNE 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**10:50 PM standard time**

 

He was terribly hungry and worried, and it was late. 10 PM was usually the end of Captain Lasky's shift, alongside with the beginning of the regular third shift in the _Infinity_ 's standard Earth-time schedule. Fireteam Majestic was dismissed; Crimson took their place at guarding the sealed quarters now. The question was still hanging in the air, since no one had an answer or solution appropriate for the current matter. No military protocol had a contingency plan regarding the sudden appearance of an AI in a physical, human body out of the blue.

The Master Chief wasn't much cooperative either, he was standing still away from the holo-table, silent. His back was quite an impressive view. The dog, however, was sitting back-to-back with her master, monitoring the activity in the room as if she was jealously guarding John's life. Lasky's eyes wondered a moment or two over the tense posture of the animal, admiring her confidence.

"You should send a comm to Admiral Osman about this." said Palmer, serious.

"Yes, I should." Lasky pursed his lips, concerned. "But I very much fear we will no longer hold control of the situation if I report it. Cortana... I mean, _she_ will be taken away and we may never see her again, much less get answers."

He side-glanced towards the Chief. Palmer understood.

"Let's face the facts." the Commander stood up and paced around the table, still in her armor. "She is human now. We do have standard procedures for prisoners. She must remain isolated and we have to interrogate her, every piece of information we can get would be immensely valuable. She might know where that hag Halsey is."

"She is amnesiac, Sarah." groaned Lasky, tired.

"How convenient. She remembers pretty much everything else, though."

"You imply she's lying."

Commander Palmer stood across the holo-table, she leaned into the bright light towards the _Infinity_ 's Captain, serious. "I imply she's hiding something, for if this isn't a mystery enough. I've heard of AIs implanted in cybernetic, functional bodies, but never about one that could actually _become human_."

"The Composer." John said, suddenly.

Palmer and Lasky looked back at him; the SPARTAN was facing them. Charley whined and tilted her head to look at her master with worried eyes. John's calloused hand grazed slightly the animal's ears.

"The Librarian said the Composer was meant to transcend the boundaries of the physical world into the digital sources, and eventually reverse the procedure; to transfer a digital conscience into a physical state." John continued. He took a few steps into the brighter side of the aisle. "She also said that the Forerunners' attempts of giving bodies to these digital entities failed, but the Didact found a way to use the Composer to create his Prometheans defenders. I saw a Forerunner glyph burnt in Cortana's skin, in her left wrist. I've seen that glyph before."

Commander Palmer thought she was hallucinating. She never heard the Master Chief speak for that long, ever. "But the Composer was destroyed."

"It also destroyed what was left of Cortana in the process. We don't know how the technology works, since Dr. Tillson's data was lost with Ivanoff Station, or how many Composers the Forerunners originally built."

Lasky took a breath, almost in horrified realization: "Dr. Halsey. The message she sent you. You think she might have found another Composer, Chief?"

"Maybe."

"If someone can pull off a trick like that, it's that old hag. It makes sense. It makes me shiver to think what she or the Covenant rebels can do if they get their hands on one of those things..." Palmer trailed off. "If Cortana fused herself with the Composer's matrix, maybe she found a way to escape."

"What if this is one of Cortana's rampant personalities?" inquired Lasky, worried. His eyes turned to the Chief. “Do you know what this glyph means?”

“No, sir. But I will find out.”

The three of them looked at each other; John's gaze was the only one still serene. Even Charley was nervous, the dog could easily feel the electricity in the air. There was just one logical course of action after such statements:

"Captain, I'd like to perform the interrogations myself." said John, coolly as usual. "I have close knowledge of the subject."

"That means you are compromised." spat Palmer.

"Are you sure, Chief?" Lasky interrupted her, surprised. "Because Commander Palmer can..."

"I'm sure, sir."

It was the Captain's decision now. Like he had a choice, anyway.

 

**JUNE 8TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**06:00 AM standard time**

 

"Everything is so slow." she said, her distant blue gaze lost beyond the window. The interrogation room had an impressive view down a very active cargo bay, small figures dressed in armor or vests moved across the deck like raging ants. "I feel quite uneasy, you know? It's cold and I'm tired, and hungry. Desperate. Sad. Angry. Being human is such a nuisance; it feels like everything takes forever to happen. Even sleep. I haven't figured out yet how to properly sleep. Whatever happened to me went beyond just fixing my rampancy, this is…"

"I can get you something to eat."

She turned back and faced him, a bit more relieved.

"Would you, Chief? That'd be great."

John was on active duty, wearing his brand new armor. He left the helmet over the table, right in the corner as some sort of warning. He was armed. She was no longer wearing that lab coat, either, someone provided with an UNSC training uniform, dark blue pants and a loose dark blue hooded sweatshirt, black running shoes. The gloomy traces of fatigue below her eyes were quite a sight.

He requested Roland for some breakfast. Through the surveillance feed, Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer were monitoring the conversation from the bridge. A few minutes later, John received a tray with hot tea and some high-carb cereal bars, and placed it over the table.

She sat down before her food, he didn't sit. No giant brown dog this time.

"You look like crap, Chief. That tan doesn't suit you at all."

He cocked an eyebrow "Would you like a mirror with that?"

"I almost forgot how painfully lame you can be when you are trying to be funny." she smiled. Cortana attempted to grab the beverage but the plastic was hot. She hissed and gave the evil eye to the cup for a few seconds. Then she slid her hands inside the sleeves of the sweatshirt and grabbed the recipient again, tasting the tea in small sips.

 _Fast learner_.

"So, who will be the 'bad cop'? Let me guess: Commander Palmer, right?"

"No bad cop, just me."

"That’s bad enough. OK, shoot." Cortana looked right at his eyes, defiant.

She munched on a carb bar as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"What happened to you after I detonated the nuke inside the _Mantle's Approach_?"

"I don't know. My first memory is of this dirty grey ceiling, I was lying naked on an uncomfortable bed." she sipped more tea, bit another cereal bar. "A woman named Cecilia Preston, a medical doctor, was examining me, she asked me questions. I freaked out. When she managed to calm me down, Dr. Preston said that I probably was attacked and left for dead, that I had temporary amnesia. She and her team found me somewhere nearby New Phoenix, about two standard weeks ago. I was injured. They couldn't find me in the database but they hit a DNA match, of course, and then I did the craziest thing I've ever done: I tried to convince these people about my identity. All I knew is that I had to get back to you, Chief, I even mentioned Dr. Halsey and insisted in asking her to confirm my story. That desperate I was. Then I was told Halsey is a fugitive of the UNSC."

Small cold needles prickled in John's skin when she said she'd been injured.

"That is correct." he nodded.

"I think I saw her." her voice came out as a whisper. "Dr. Halsey, I mean. Or maybe it was a delusion. Dr. Preston said that I was feverish for a few days, like my body was fighting against some infection."

John clenched his fists. The mere thought of Palmer being right about the intel this Cortana could provide...

"How did you get here?"

"I escaped. Dr. Preston didn't buy my story and wanted to hand me into military custody because I had no ID. So I snatched a portable terminal and did some fireproof hacking, made up a fake identity to get on board of the _Infinity_. When I found you, I knew where to go." she shrugged slightly, shoved into her mouth the last of the carb bar. After a long pause of silent munching, she lowered her eyes to the bright white surface of the table. "I wanted to get back to you, you are the only one who can help me, now... but seems like it has been too long."

"We'll see about that. You are a prisoner of the UNSC."

"So, I'm not getting out of this cell anytime soon."

"That's right."

"Well, thanks, Chief; that was very comforting." she rolled her eyes, irritated.

"So far, this is only your word against anything else."

"Hey, I'm trying to make some sense out of this too. Fine, lock me up if you must, I don't mind. I know the protocol _and the Law_." she rose on her feet, her voice pitching a little in clear anger. John stood firm in a far more menacing pose than hers, looking at the woman right in the eyes. Then Cortana took a shaky breath and sat down again, her shoulders limp "I know you doubt me, you have all the right to do it. And if I was still on that chip, I'll advice you not to trust me either."

"And why is that?" he leaned in, curious.

"I know what you are thinking. And you also know the answer."

For a few seconds they were silent, just looking at each other.

"You are fine with imprisonment." John said, calmly.

"It's not like the UNSC will grant me a Royal pardon* and greet me with a full-paid vacation in a tropical island." she chuckled, it was a sad grin anyway. "I'm scared, Chief. Fear feels more real when you are human. I understand."

John wished to tell Cortana that she had nothing to be afraid while she was aboard the _Infinity_ , but he knew damn well it wasn’t his place to make such a promise. Much less when they still were on a ‘possible threat’ basis.

"And I understand you too." she kept talking, in a lower voice.

"What do you mean?"

Sadness took over her face, her deep blue eyes stained with a dark note of regret.

"I read your file. You worked so hard to let me go, that now you can't figure out what to do with me coming back."

Back in the bridge, Captain Lasky narrowed his eyes when he heard that, and then raised his eyebrows when he saw the Master Chief himself take a small step back inside the room. Standing beside him, Palmer breathed out an almost silent 'huh' and that was it. Lasky crossed his arms, determined:

“Roland, cut out the feed.” he commanded.

The screen went blank, then a UNSC animated white logo flashed.

“What are you doing, Tom?” hissed Palmer.

“What is going on in there now it’s none of our business.”

“And what about the rest of the information, _Captain_?" she rested her powerful armored fists over the holo-table. She was angry. "I believe that is what interrogations are for, _to gather intel_."

“He’ll report it. The Chief knows very well where his loyalties reside.”

Commander Palmer thought of asking him how sure he was about that statement, but she tried to calm down. Roland may have interrupted the screen feed although the cameras were still recording, she’d take a look at the footage later, alone. She wasn’t as soft-hearted as Lasky.

“I think I have a plan, Sarah.” he continued. “Would you back me up a little?”

She shook her head in disbelief, but still…

Tom was a good man. And as a Captain he wasn’t that bad, either.

"Fine. I'll bring this Dr. Cecilia Preston and her team in for interrogation."

 

**JUNE 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**5:54 AM standard time (48 hours after the interrogation)**

 

“The medical report notices a slight hormonal unbalance, of the likes of a teenage girl... which would explain her sudden mood swings. You all have seen the footage.” Lasky recited, watching at the screen. He pointed out towards a fluorescent graphic with vibrant colors. “The brain activity is also a bit erratic here, it indicates she might be left-handed. The biological profile is perfectly green, nothing seems wrong with her body or cognitive functions, scored 192 at the IQ tests. She is our not-so-average healthy woman on her late twenties. Then again, Cortana was never human to start with, so I think we can expect her to be somewhat _special_.”

Madsen snorted under his breath. “Maybe she is in her _special_ days of the month.”

DeMarco smiled lightly and Tedra rolled her eyes. Thorne cleared his throat.

“Maybe her body is still adapting, working out the adjustments on its own. Like it happened to us, during the early stages of the SPARTAN program.” commented Tedra. “Like you said, this whole situation is unique. We understand.”

"Good to see someone taking this seriously, Grant. Thank you." said the Captain. "Majestic, your assignment is simple: keep your eyes wide open and your mouths shut. Cortana won't be cleared to walk free, but after forty-eight hours our Law states that we can't keep her under custody without filing a report. An official report might bring us unwanted attention. Few people know about the recent events and I will keep it that way for a while, until I prove my point or this blows up. Your Commander doesn't agree with me, but she just gave me her permission to pin this on you, and I'm absolutely responsible for whatever happens."

"What if someone recognizes her, sir?" asked Hoya, concerned.

"Then you report it. This mission is of the highest importance." 

"You want to see how it develops." acknowledged Thorne, serious. "What is your official position regarding the matter, Captain?"

"I don't trust this embodied Cortana and neither does the Master Chief. You'd be following his lead; I expect daily reports from each of you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal-clear, sir!" a choir of strong voices echoed.

"Excellent. Now get the hell out of my quarters, Majestic. Dismissed."

 

**JUNE 11TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**08:15 PM standard time (next day)**

 

After three days at Red Tusk station in the middle of that dusty desert, John was a bit grumpy. Sand was an annoyance mostly because it was known to jam all mechanical parts it could fit into and screw up instruments, engines and weapons. That desert's sand was infuriating, almost like it was _intelligent_. In the other hand, civilians could be quite disorganized when they weren't used to military presence or maybe it was the growing danger of gigantic unknown insectoid creatures with acid saliva. The UNSC provided support and of course, the Master Chief's mission was to lead fireteam Crimson to find the creatures' nest, wipe it clean.

It wasn't difficult neither took long. No casualties, except for maybe fifty bugs and a several square meters of sticky eggs. John spent two days tracking down the location, since the instruments went crazy and the only working sensors were the dogs' enhanced noses. Not even Sigrid, the dumb AI that he shared with fireteam Majestic, was fully functional.

Well, some nice old school raid for a change. Charley and seven other K-9 agents enjoyed themselves.

Time to loosen up a bit. John headed for the SPARTAN bay of the _Infinity_.

He saw her from approximately twenty yards away. Even without the bluish hue around her silhouette, he would've recognized Cortana anywhere; his heart raced a bit when he realized she wasn't imprisoned. Sigrid silently pointed out his accelerated pulse with a flash of white words in his HUD, which he dismissed with a low growl. Cortana and SPARTAN Gabriel Thorne were having a talk, he pointed several directions across the corridor and the intersections as he spoke. They were right in his way, a rendezvous was imminent.

 _And not unwanted either_. Curiosity unfolded within John.

Cortana didn't look so fragile now, but the hooded sweatshirt was still at least one size bigger than the appropriate for her measures. She was wearing boots, like any other soldier. She looked quite harmless. His gut insisted in not taking her lightly.

At the mere sight of the superior officer, Thorne stood still and saluted:

"Master Chief, sir. Good evening."

John responded the salute and nodded. "At ease, SPARTAN. Good evening."

Cortana smiled, her hands carefully clasped at her belly.

"Hey there, Chief."

"Why are you not under surveillance?" he barked, couldn't help himself.

"Wow, shots fired." she said, uncomfortable. "I told you I know the Law. Captain Lasky couldn't hold me in for more than forty-eight hours. He said I am free to visit a few decks if I am escorted by someone from fireteam Majestic or... well, you. My clearance is very limited."

"Sigrid, open a comm channel. Connect with Captain Lasky."

Cortana bit her lower lip, preventing herself from saying something that both of them could regret, but she stood patiently. Thorne suddenly found something interesting under his fingernails. It was unpleasant to see the Chief so distant, almost angry at her mere sight, although she understood his position and tried to cooperate. She was still under probation, after all.

The AI imprinted _RECIPIENT NOT AVAILABLE_ across the HUD.

John growled again.

"Uh, I should be going, I'm already late for dinner." Thorne cleared his throat and took a few steps back. He saluted again, just in case.

John saluted back once more and dismissed him.

"Do SPARTANS have nightmares?" Cortana said. "Because I think you scared the shit out of him."

"Follow me."

She rolled her eyes. "What happened with 'please' and 'thank you'? I'm hungry and I heard tonight they are serving real spaghetti. I want to try it."

"We'll eat together. You are not leaving my side."

Her eyebrows rose. Her heart-rate also increased a bit; a small smile traced across her face, her deep blue eyes lit up. John was already on his way to the elevator and she followed right away, trying to keep up with his gigantic strides. A few minutes later, Cortana stood calmly by the platform while the technicians and the automated systems disengaged pieces of armor from John's body one after another. She observed the whole process with much interest, although she'd monitored it before in her AI form... this was like something new. Piece by piece the MJOLLNIR came out and finally there was just the man, tall and broad, and she smiled again. He probably wanted to respond that smile somehow. She concentrated at the moving rails and robotic arms, the system could use a few tweaks.

It was good to know that whatever made her solid, it didn't take away her most precious skills.

When she finally sat down before the polished steel table with her tray, Cortana took a few minutes to observe the attractive mess of yellow strings and red sauce. So, spaghetti. It looked tasty. She even got a sloppy meatball with the ration. The scent was quite seductive, that was for sure. Plastic fork in hand, she dug in for the first time, took a small bite.

The taste -and the heat- exploded inside her mouth. She moaned in pleasure.

"This is SO good!" Cortana mumbled, amazed. "The taste, the texture, this is..."

Across the narrow table, John was already taking in the food without much regard for it. He wasn't even tasting it. Well, he was paying more attention to her than to his own tray; it was difficult not to look at Cortana when she was making those strange, funny faces over something so simple.

He felt the urgency to smirk, or something.

He almost did it.

"So delicious." she kept mumbling, bite after bite.

"What am I going to do with you?" said John, most of his designated ration already eaten. She raised her head at him, the plastic fork carelessly stuck inside her mouth. Something warm slid beneath his skin. Something nice. She looked...

Safe. Relaxed. Comfortable with his presence. And happy.

Why couldn't he feel that happy, too?

Cortana put the fork down and slid her hand across the table, showing him her left wrist. The Forerunner glyph drew John's attention immediately, again. He also frowned, his face now grim.

"Well, you could start with this." she suggested.

"I've seen it before, but I don't know what it means."

"Of course you've seen it. We both have. It was embedded in the mainframe of the Composer's core. It's a number, Chief. _The number three_."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

_*She means Royal pardons as the ones granted by the British Empire to criminals accused of piracy in the eighteenth century._

Yeah, I know. I just pulled a classic move here, the Composer. Ha-ha.

At this point, you might think you have everything figured out, but let’s not forget that Lasky, Palmer and the Chief are merely theorizing about what possibly happened. Somebody else holds the truth, and we’ll get there in due time. No more spoiling, I'm an evil person. I want to specially thank you all for your encouraging support, writing in English is not that difficult for me but still, it has its tricks. I’m doing it for practice. I want to keep this as serious and realistic as possible within the Halo universe -give or take the creative licenses I might engage from time to time, in behalf of the plot-.

**Most sincerely, thank you and don't forget to share your thoughts!**


	4. Flip a Coin

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**3\. FLIP A COIN**

 

**JUNE 11TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:30 PM standard time (same night)**

 

"...you want me to keep _more than an eye_ on her." John confirmed, calmly. In few words, that was Captain Lasky's plan: release Cortana from custody and see what would she do if given autonomy. "Sir... she said she did some 'fireproof hacking' to get a fake ID, and forcefully placed herself in the incoming personnel log. She could sink the _Infinity_ down if she wanted so."

They could have ONI agents all over their asses already as well. Nothing was ever a secret for that long within the lower ranks of the military. Well, _nothing_ was a secret, ever. Period.

"Commander Palmer interrogated Dr. Preston, she confirmed a portable terminal stolen, the device connected to one of the UNSC mainframes. Cortana has no clearance to get anywhere near a computer port inside this vessel, Chief. She has fingerprints now. She needs both voice and fingerprint recognition to even turn on a simple entertainment station, Roland made sure of it."

They were alone in the strategic command aisle, standing across from each other, the holo-table between them. The towering SPARTAN just blinked, silent once more. It was almost scary.

"You don't like it, I see. Hunches aren't exactly approved by UNSC regulation." continued Lasky. "That's why Roland will keep record of her activities; if Cortana even blinks in the wrong direction... she'll have an entire SPARTAN platoon on her heels in thirty seconds."

"Then, why do I have to watch over her?"

The Captain tilted his head. "Close knowledge of the subject."

For long, tense seconds, neither of them said anything else, again. John's face was so unreadable that the Captain took a deep breath and leaned into the holo-table, a bit uncomfortable. Minutes passed by and nothing happened. It wasn't easy to decide if the Master Chief was considering the meaning of everything or if he was simply trying not to walk off the room, as insubordinate as such reaction would be. When he couldn't stand it anymore, Lasky requested: "Speak freely, Chief."

John didn't falter. "Is this a joke, sir?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are doing this because of me."

Lasky smirked a bit. " _Reliance_ is a powerful trigger for action. You trusted your life to her, once. If she believes you trust her as she is now, she might get too confident and make a mistake."

So, it was about pretending. What a strange game.

No. It was a test for both of them. John considered his options.

SPARTANS were field agents, wild forces of Nature built by humans to clash and repel one enemy after another without giving up. It is true they were built to do as they were told, but this was different. The Captain didn't want to hand Cortana over to the ONI or top brass and that was very transparent, he just wasn't saying it out loud. He wasn't saying either that, if things went wrong, he'd probably lose his captainship and be dishonorably discharged. Flying low like that was a risky move.

Then again, why? Maybe Lasky was worried about something?

John couldn't figure that part out. He narrowed his eyes: "Cortana knows I'm hesitant about her condition."

"She's also scared. A friendly face could help. And fireteam Majestic will be your support, if things escalate."

After a short moment of inner deliberation, John nodded once, accepting this new command. There wasn't much to say, anyway; part of him still felt curious yet troubled, and he would never back down from a challenge. _In fact, he was eager to engage_. If something was wrong, if this perfect Cortana was a trap, then he'll bring her in before she could do any harm.

Except he wasn't that sure about the pretending part, yet.

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**5:45 AM standard time (next morning)**

 

"What are you reading?"

She jumped off the crate she was sitting in, clutching the tablet against her chest. It wasn't John's voice what frightened her the most, it was the loud, intimidating canine bark. Cortana closed her eyes, between sheer fear and frustration, and turned around to face him and his gigantic dog, puffing off loose strands of dark hair.

"I swear, Chief, I don't know how _such a big guy in armor_ like you can sneak on people that easy." she huffed.

"It takes some practice."

"No kidding." Cortana mumbled. Her human brain wasn't as good at multitasking as her once powerful digital sub-routines and it was taking its toll with her mood. It felt like information took ages to make sense because _she actually had to read the files, not assimilate them._ John demanded to see the pad's screen and she handed him the device with upset dignity. "Dr. Glassman cleared me for some files, Captain Lasky approved; mostly research data about the New Phoenix incident and Requiem's core. It's not much and it's not enlightening at all -obviously _somebody_ doesn't want me sniffing around-, but it's a start."

"A start for what?"

"Potential connections between the mark and everything else." Cortana flashed her left wrist, then hid her hand away again holding it against her belly. She leaned in to point at some numbers. "This is data from the New Phoenix episode. I extrapolated a set of outgoing coordinates from ground zero that don't make sense neither fit in the chain of events. It might be coordinates for a slip-space port, but I don't think I can ask Dr. Glassman to take a look at it."

Sigrid AI was recording already, it was standard procedure. So, John nodded.

"Leave Glassman to me." he said. "Good work."

"Why? I didn't do anything. _I can't do anything_. I've been in this body for almost three weeks -if not much longer- and every day I feel more and more... I don't know, it's like I'm going rampant again."

"Cortana."

She raised her head and locked eyes at the familiar faceplate. The warning in John's voice forced her to calm down and breathe slowly, to restrain herself. "I'm sorry it's just that I..."

"Take it easy. Humans don't go rampant, we get sick. I don't want you to get sick."

"Have you ever been sick _in your life_ , Master Chief?"

"I almost caught a cold once."

Cortana broke a small, thankful smile. Her mood improved instantly.

Several Pelicans' engines hummed to life. It was 5:55 AM standard Earth time.

"Are you leaving?" she asked, hesitant.

John nodded once. "Emergency deployment."

That usually meant _no time for chatter_ , yet there he was. She looked down at the dog, her armored harness and the massive chain John held tight with his fist. Charley's ears were pointing at the woman with outrageous attention. Both of them were a striking sight, intimidating. Across the deck, the electronic voice of the ship's AI informed that all scheduled Pelicans had a green for lift off. Other SPARTANS entered the cargo bay in armor suit, armed and accompanied by other big dogs as well, followed by fireteams Majestic and Crimson. The humming of the engines increased dramatically.

John gave Cortana the tablet back.

"Something bad happened." he added, his voice flat.

"So it seems. You're taking a lot of people with you."

Yes, she knew. His team was going to the sands, again; something about big nasty bugs, unidentified magnetic signals coming up from far beneath the planet's surface and a few missing scientists. Cortana couldn't get much more out of reading Tedra Grant's lips while she and Madsen were talking about it, but it was enough to set off an alarm. So much for some million square miles of dust, heat and dangerously low humidity; all of a sudden that environmentally hostile planet was interesting.

An excited part of her was eager to tag along. _Yeah, right_.

Something cold and wet hit her hand and she took a step back, then she realized the dog had been sniffing her skin. Cortana chose to change the subject, since thinking about the Chief jumping head first into danger without her to protect him wasn't doing her any good: "So, when will you introduce me to your dog?"

Charley tilted her head when she noticed the reference. _Smart beast_.

"When we get back." promised John.

"Okay then, I guess I'm stuck here. Doing some slow and boring reading."

The Chief hit the shade of his helmet with two armored fingers, and nodded.

"Don't get in trouble while I'm gone; I'm not bailing you out."

"Ha-ha. Do the Universe a favor and focus on not dying, would you?"

He shrugged. "You know me."

"That's _exactly_ why I said it."

It felt like old times, she couldn't help but smile again. That camaraderie was most welcome.

Charley shot her ears back, upset, and bit her master's wrist in a gentle yet urgent manner; then she pulled him towards the last Pelican awaiting. Back at the carrier, Paul DeMarco stood at the hanging rear door and waved a hand, calling everybody in for departure. There was no more time for goodbyes and it wasn't their favorite subject anyway, so Cortana saluted in formal fashion and got a greeting back from John.

"See you soon."

"Yeah, you hold that thought." he said, and left.

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: BREACHING ATMOSPHERE**

**10:12 AM standard time**

 

This _pretending_ thing was surprisingly easy, John thought.

Maybe because he wasn't doing such thing, because most of it felt so incredibly familiar, comfortable and close. Few months passed since the last time he lost himself in thoughts of how much he missed her, then there was this solid wall he learnt to build around those memories and strange feelings to keep them from running loose. He had to do it. For a long time, he thought he was going mad with grief, _rampant_ like her. Other people suspected it as well.

But Dr. Waters, the UNSC psychologist, reminded him that SPARTAN or not, he was still human and he was deeply scarred, and those scars needed care. A lifetime as a SPARTAN changed him as much as CPO Mendez and his intensive training did for him in his early age. In all of those years jumping from one colony to another into battle, John learnt that the best soldier wasn't the one who followed all orders blindly, but the one who best served his nation and cause. Nothing was ever that black or that white. He considered he served the UNSC just right, but his future never contemplated anything besides military life. He didn't knew anything else.

There wasn't much to life besides _both of them_ going from one station to another, saving the day. He didn't want to pretend.

 _Because she felt real again_.

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: CLASSIFIED**

**2:35 PM standard time**

 

"The instruments are dead again." said Tedra. "It comes and goes like a wave."

Her HUD flickered for a few seconds. Something was messing up with the neural link and the MJOLLNIR's inner systems again, disrupting long distance range comms and Sigrid's tactical coordination links. Interference was like a rattling sound at the background, peaking and fading slowly.

"I have a bad feeling about this." said Thorne.

"You and everyone else." muttered Madsen, his eyes fixed in the horizon.

A wide trail of debris across the dunes was the only trace of what happened in Red Tusk station: something tore the crystal domes apart. It was no earthquake, that was for sure. No camera feed available, no survivors in the upper levels of the installation; fireteam Crimson was scouting through the subterranean levels with half the K-9 crew, trying to find someone. The dogs picked up the scents in the courtyard and led them away from the station, heading Northeast. The Pelicans wouldn't follow, they could barely make it to land.

The planet's atmosphere was optimal, the air was rich and breathable; and despite its cycles being almost ten hours longer than standard Earth days, it seemed like once upon a time it was a good planet to set up a colony. Now it wasn't anymore.

"We're going in circles. The dogs are getting nervous." said another soldier.

John stood still for a moment, on top of a dune, hearing at the magnetic winds.

 _The humming sound had a pattern_. Whenever the sound was at its lowest point, the instruments were efficient again; and whenever the signal was at its peak, they were blinded, deaf and isolated. Just as he calculated. The cycles lasted nearly two minutes now; three days ago the lapses were up to many hours. It was like a countdown. His best guess, a self-destruction sequence. A bomb, maybe.

He should get his people out of there...

"Master Chief, sir; I'm picking up transponder signals. Seems like there are twelve of them, maybe more." said one of the K-9 crew SPARTANS. "I can't get the readings straight."

"Acknowledged. Stand by." John said, he dropped to one knee beside Charley.

He found a crack in the dusty landscape. It was almost invisible, the shadows of the dunes at that hour of the day hid it pretty well, but he saw a blink of white. A piece of metal reflecting sunlight. The Chief unclasped the heavy chain from the dog's harness and grabbed her by the collar. She didn't push this time but whined, she was anxious as much as her other four legged companions. He waited for another two minutes until the instruments stabilized again, then switched to long distance range comm. "Sigrid, start a chronometer, set it up for 120 seconds at my mark and link me up with _Infinity_. Three... two... one... mark."

When the light flared green, he spoke: "UNSC _Infinity_ , this is Sierra-117."

The comm link crackled intensely. Sigrid kept the channel open, the graphic on the left corner of the HUD flickered with static. It wasn't working. John tried a different approach.

"Sigrid, open a notepad. Transcribe message: This is Sierra-117 to UNSC _Infinity_. Send message."

He waited. After thirty seconds, a green icon blinked in his peripheral sight.

_UNSC Infinity Strategic Command to Sierra-117: We read you. Come in._

Good, text messages could slip through the blocking. It was a different, almost obsolete frequency, last resort channel. He spoke to the silent AI again: "I need eyes on my location."

 _Infinity_ responded:

_UNSC Infinity Strategic Command to Sierra-117: We don't have eyes on planetary surface, 117. Our sensors and probes cease transmitting at stratosphere._

"Run a new scan after this message, then contact me exactly four minutes after the scan. We have a breakthrough."

Eyeing at the chronometer, John waited a few seconds and sent the message. The numbers reached zero and started over. When the countdown started by the fourth time, he received another text:

_UNSC Infinity Strategic Command to Sierra-117: We have eyes on you. Grid 33 by 23, 12.3 kilometers Northeast from Red Tusk Station. Half a mile ahead of you there is a magnetic well, we can't read any further._

The crack among the dunes. Very well.

"We have a comm window for two minutes every two minutes. It's getting shorter. We might have survivors. Attempts of reaching the area via airship or any other vehicle will be unsuccessful, the magnetic winds are increasing."

_UNSC Infinity Strategic Command to Sierra-117: What do you suggest, 117?_

John wasn't afraid of an EMP as much as he was worried about blowing in pieces with all of his team and maybe the entire _Infinity_ and the rest of the fleet. They should probably get the hell out of there, immediately.

He waited until the chronometer started over again.

"Tell Captain Lasky that I need _her_ on the bridge, she knows this technology. And she needs to learn as much as she can about this facility in the next sixteen minutes."

_UNSC Infinity Strategic Command to Sierra-117: Acknowledged. Infinity out._

He closed the channel and reached out to the rest of his men.

"All teams, ready. I just found the hole and we're going in, regroup at my position, double time."

Everybody approved. The dogs became even more upset at reaching the top of the dune, tugging at their chains. John looked down at Charley, she wasn't struggling but she was showing off her enormous fangs. Yes, there was something down there.

Something nastier than last time, maybe.

"Let them go." John ordered, and released Charley's harness.

All teams moved in fast. The dogs shot ahead galloping across the sand, silent and synchronized, the SPARTANS followed. They crossed the entrance of the cave in three minutes, accessed the dark inner chambers in another two, and finally descended down a cavernous formation until they reached a rectangular hole and two heavy blast doors ripped off, laying in the rocky floor.

The air was contaminated. Sigrid could read high levels of ammonia.

The dogs growled and processed the scents, heading up through the broken doors with their ultra-sensitive noses stick to the ground. There was barely a blue glow around but it was enough for SPARTAN's eyes. They went after the K-9 agents, now entering a wide, hollow space, overflowing with the distant and strong humming and buzzing of machinery. A very long and narrow catwalk provided passage to what seemed to be the center of the room, in the middle of the enormous area there was an elegant and silvery structure. It seemed to be powered down.

"Look at that. It's a terraforming station." Tedra said, amazed. "Does this seem Forerunner to anyone?"

"It is." said John. The infrastructure was somewhat similar to the inner design of a Halo ring, but seemed obsolete, probably older than the rings. Early attempts? "Careful, we're not alone."

"I lost the transponders, sir."

"Then we split. Two teams." the Chief ordered. "I'll take..."

The dogs stopped before touching the catwalk and regrouped in battle formation before their masters. John readied his weapon as the other soldiers did, trying to identify the sound. Bad feelings crawled through his skin. It was like a hissing pressure leak and hundreds of spikes tingling against metal, and then...

Darkness. Gunfire and furious barks.

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**3:03 PM standard time**

 

"Roland, get all personnel ready, prepare for slip-space jump. We've got to pick up and leave ASAP." said Captain Lasky to the small yellow figure at his right.

"You got it, sir." the AI saluted and vanished.

"He'll make it." Cortana said, bravely. "Give him some credit."

"I trust his skills as well, but this is unprecedented. Are you ready?"

She nodded. Lasky led her to a chair and Cortana sat in front of a screen, her fingers trembled over the smooth surface of the virtual keypad. With the corner of her eye, she saw Commander Palmer lurking in the shadows of the bridge, her face was grim. She was armed as well. _Good, no pressure at all_. Cortana sighed, and the screen showed a very disheartening countdown: barely thirty six minutes left for whatever was going to happen down in the planet.

"Open the comm channel." Lasky ordered.

"Chief?" she typed, as fast as she could. "Do you read me?"

After impatient seconds of waiting, the screen flared and the message decrypted instantly before her eyes:

_Sierra-117 to UNSC Infinity Strategic Command: Cortana._

"It's me. Come in."

_Sierra-117 to UNSC Infinity Strategic Command: This thing will blow up._

"How curious, things always blow up whenever you're around. Find a terminal, hook in Sigrid's chip and request her for console command with remote control, I'll take it from there. She's not programmed for this."

Writing that fast made her fingers hurt, but if she could save them...

_Sierra-117 to UNSC Infinity Strategic Command: OK. Give me a minute, big bug infestation down here._

She looked at the Captain. He nodded. Her eyes turned back to the chronometer in the screen. Thirty four. Thirty three. Thirty two minutes. Suddenly, the screen went black and then back on, a window with lines of code crept up, protocols running in sequence. Finally, a simple prompt appeared. Sigrid established the uplink and the two terminals were connected.

With the current turn of events and the little information John provided earlier, Dr. Glassman calculated estimated deadlines. At the point, she only had interventions of merely one minute five seconds of viable communication. Cortana read as fast as she could the information from the terminal. The system was Forerunner but it was ancient. For instance, it was designed for self-autonomy as the Halos, although it was built for testing purposes, therefore...

"Shit." she mumbled, under her breath.

"What is it?" Lasky asked.

"I'm sending texts to fireteam Crimson, they have the Pelicans."

"The Pelicans can't fly with these magnetic winds, is..."

"I'll get them out of there. That thing is definitively blowing up."

Lasky crossed his arms, hopeful. She texted to John again. "Bad news. You can't stop the self-destruct, it's a firmware protocol; but you can override the magnetic shields of the installation for the Pelicans to approach. Manually, it is."

The Chief responded instantly:

_Sierra-117 to UNSC Infinity Strategic Command: What do I do?_

"I'm on it."

She brought up files of blueprints until she found what she was looking for. The connection died and returned a few times, but she didn't fell into despair, she pinpointed the location of the set of manual overrides and converted the archive into text code. The chronometer hit the twenty minute barrier.

Cortana gasped, her heart throbbing. They still had to make it out of the planet.

She finally hit "send" along with the message: "Here are the blueprints. Hurry."

_Sierra-117 to UNSC Infinity Strategic Command: Get the medics ready, we have a few injured. If I can't make it in time, get the hell out of here."_

Her fingers trembled. So did her lips.

She wrote: "You made me a promise, now keep it. _Infinity_ out."

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**3:40 PM standard time**

 

The _Infinity_ made it into slip-space barely in time, the Pelicans touched deck when the FTL drives activated and sent the entire fleet twenty million kilometers away. A few rocks and debris from the exploding artificial planet crossed the barrier with them, and a lot of sand, but it was safe now.

Just as Glassman predicted it, when the countdown reached zero, _kaboom_.

Cortana was waiting in the medical bay, she wanted to see John and check if he was in one piece. Being this _disconnected_ from him was distressing. The Chief breached first into the white corridor, leading a diverse group of injured soldiers, scientists and animals.

He held in his arms something furry and covered in blood...

"Oh, no." she whispered, as he approached.

The Chief deposited the body of Charley on a white gurney and immediately a vet hurried beside him, leaning over the animal. Cortana covered her mouth with one hand, terrified. The poor beast had nasty patches of charred skin, open gushing wounds across her ribs and a leg twisted in a strange angle. She noticed other dogs were injured as well, their handlers stood beside them as John did. His armor was also covered in blood and acid burns, whatever happened down there it was hell of a fight.

Then the doors closed and she stood outside the intensive care deck, alone.

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**6:45 PM standard time**

 

She woke up when someone poked her arm.

"Hey."

"Chief." she whispered, and realized she'd been curled up in the hard long-chair of the waiting room. What time was it? He was still in armor, still covered in blood. "Are you alright?"

"I'm a lucky guy, remember? Come with me."

She jumped off the long-chair and fixed her tussled hair straight.

John led her to the veterinary section of the medical bay, where six dogs were laying connected to life support machinery. They weren't alone, but the doctors wouldn't bother them. She recognized the colors of Charley, John's particular companion, under a heavy battery of bandages and life-support sensors. Cortana stepped closer to him and hugged herself, suddenly she felt cold and sad; it sure looked painful, but the animal was kept sedated for its own safety.

"Cortana, this is Charley. Charley, this is my best friend, Cortana."

She looked at him, confused.

"Chief, what...?"

"I made you a promise, didn't I?"

"But, why now? I wasn't serious about... " she started, but he interrupted:

"Now is a good time. Perhaps we won't have another chance."

She felt heartbroken; that brave animal could die. She understood why he wanted her to be there at that moment, why he was caressing so softly the dog's ears, maybe the only part of her body that wasn't injured. He was trying to face it. Cortana leaned in and touched Charley's nuzzle, her whiskers and forehead.

"Hello, Charley. Nice to meet you." she said, her voice shaky.

The dog moved slowly and sniffed at her fingers, then licked her skin.

John nodded. "Seems she likes you."

"Her fur is soft." Well, what was left of it anyway. Cortana flinched. John pulled two reinforced chairs and sat down beside the gurney, leaving the other chair empty for her. She sighed heavily and looked at him. "I understand why you care so much about this dog. She's like me to you. I'm sorry, John. I never thought someday I'd choose to die in someone else's behalf, but..."

He didn't respond to that, and she kind of expected it.

She just sat by his side, quietly.

She wasn't sure about what reaction she might get from him, but she wanted to try it anyway. Hesitant, Cortana placed her hand on the cold piece of armor over John's thigh, her skin erupted in pleasurable goosebumps at the smooth feel of the recently wielded metal. She managed to do that, once, when she thought she would never see him again. You could call it a dying wish.

It sure didn't felt _this good or real_.

He merely leaned back, not away from her but to get a better view.

"I'm here. I don't know how or why, _but I'm here_ , Chief." she said, softly.

"You saved our lives." he said, instantly. "I'm not losing you again."

She smiled, her lips trembling, her vision suddenly blurred. Something was stuck inside her throat and prevented her from swallowing the embarrassment away. Cortana gasped and touched her left cheek, surprised at the tears that slid down her eyes. She felt so good and yet she wanted to cry so bad.

Then, she saw the blood dripping in the floor.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Okay, that was it for today! Nice. Be sure to check the next update for John's debriefing and a very special situation, plus a very special visit from an old friend. And plot development, because this fanfic has a plot, yes.

Thanks for your support, guys! You're awesome -hugs-

 

**Don't forget to share your thoughts! :D we people who write have this strange hunger for knowledge about readers' opinions and theories.**


	5. Simple Life

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**4\. SIMPLE LIFE**

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**8:06 PM standard time (same night)**

 

John did not leave the intensive care deck until the vets told him that Charley was going to make it just fine, _and proved it to him_. She was badly hurt and would be out of commission for ten days, but according to the medic everything looked worse than it actually was. The acid burns and lacerations on her skin were already treated, her leg was fixed. She lost a lot of blood but she was a though girl, the medic reassured; enhanced dogs were made to match the SPARTANS resistance and it would take much more than that to disable or kill one of them.

Now it was his turn.

"I can't believe you were wounded and you didn't say a thing." muttered Cortana. "That your AI didn't say a thing either! What kind of AI this Sigrid is? She doesn't look after you at all."

"I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself."

"Don't be an ass right now, Chief. I'm worried."

"It's not a big deal."

He looked down at the not-so-small patch over the left side of his stomach, right above the hipbone. The biofoam held just right until they reached the _Infinity_ and the pain was now gone, after a shower, some injections and proper care he was as good as new. She just couldn't shake off the apprehension.

He pulled on his white off-duty short-sleeved shirt and stood up.

"Because a giant centipede-thing stabbing you from side to side is _not a big deal_."

"At least it wasn't poisonous."

"Of course, it just had acid saliva. Such a relief."

She didn't mention how lucky he was to get out of that planet with only a stabbed stomach since it would be redundant -and ridiculous-. John smirked a little and placed a hand over her right shoulder, serenely. She seemed to loosen up a bit, it was said that physical contact had comforting properties.

"Come on, let's go grab something to eat. I'm starving." he said, trying to make things up. "Captain Lasky wants to debrief me personally at 2100."

"Lead the way."

He didn't miss the fact that her hands were clutched over her belly.

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:13 PM standard time (same night)**

 

"... indicates that the planet had been in self-destruct mode for many years. I made it out with a rack of storage units for Dr. Glassman to analyze, I was informed he found evidence of core malfunction within the terraforming units, the automated maintenance systems crashed and the entire ecosystem deteriorated. It was left alone, probably it was an experiment." John recounted, his eyes fixed in a blank screen behind Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer's heads. "The countdown sequence was so spaced when the UNSC first landed, that nobody noticed until it narrowed down enough to actually mean something. Seems like the magnetic winds that constantly jammed our probes, comms and vehicles during lapses were produced by the malfunctioning units as well."

"We've got a ton of information out of it." Captain Lasky said. "The samples of insectoid life-forms your crew brought back will also be very helpful."

John nodded. Lasky meant the severed head of the gigantic _centipede-thing_ that managed to pierce him through while he was trying to get Charley out of the creature's clutches. Probably those monsters ate all the population of the test facility and caused its demise as well. Who knew what the Forerunners were thinking, if they were the kind of great builders who fought the Flood but also kept living samples of such plague.

Maybe it was all the same for them.

"And thanks to Cortana's assistance, all your injured men are going to make it too, Commander Palmer." John added, carefully side-glancing at her. "I believe this proves something."

"I'm pleased to hear that, Chief. But I don't allow myself to be dazzled over some smoke and mirrors, so you'll have to excuse me while I keep my opinions _about her_ for the time being."

Sarah Palmer's voice was cold but polite.

The Master Chief nodded once, his face as inexpressive as before.

Captain Lasky cleared his throat: "Keep going, Chief."

"We rescued ten scientists out of the infested facility and fireteam Crimson found another eighteen survivors hidden below surface, the rest of Red Tusk station personnel was missing, presumed killed or eaten by the native creatures. No casualties on our side. Crimson recovered some storage units from the station but they were ruined by acid and magnetism."

"How about your injuries?"

"Minor. Seventy-two-hours of discharge, to recover."

"All right, Chief, thank you. Enough for today, go get some rest."

Lasky stood up and saluted, John saluted back. "Sir, ma'am. Good night."

The Commander greeted her fellow SPARTAN with the same honors, although she wasn't pleased with the current course of events. John left the aisle only seconds later and the automated recording routines stopped.

Tom fell on his chair and threw his head back, tired.

Sarah sat down again, her hands clasped in strong fists over her thighs.

She wasn't happy about releasing Cortana from custody, even if it was to set out a trap, and Lasky knew why. Things were still a bit sore between them since Dr. Halsey's escape, almost nine months ago, but Sarah was a professional and she knew better than holding a grudge against the ship's Captain. Tom was grateful to her for that, it made things easier for everyone else. They even got each other's backs when Admiral Osman declared the manhunt official and several other ships and crews joined forces with the _Infinity_ to aid in the case. Osman wanted Halsey dead, not just locked away.

So, if Captain Lasky trusted anyone aboard that ship as much as he trusted the Master Chief's skills and almost unbelievable luck, that person was Sarah Palmer. She would be mad at him for two or three days and then...

Tom sighed. She was clearly still mad at him. He didn't like that.

"What are you looking at, Tom? Do I have something on my face?"

"Eye bags, but we all have them, don't we?" he smiled, wryly.

"Charming." Sarah rolled her eyes, upset.

"Tell me what are you thinking. Speak freely, there's nobody else around."

"Don't you think it's weird? I mean, I've been debriefing Majestic these last days and most of their reports suggest the Master Chief is clearly emotionally compromised with her." she started. Lasky opened his mouth to say something, but she carried on: "I know Halsey gave him that AI to aid him, and not only in the battlefield. And I know Cortana wasn't exactly your regular smart AI either, but this is reaching levels that I can barely understand."

"I don't follow you."

"He acts like a nervous teenager." she said. There was a hint of compassion in her voice, although still angry. Tom nodded, he could see the point now. "I get it. He's not like us IV's, he's a rare specimen of a dying breed. But I don't like how this is going and his impressive military record won't make me go soft on him."

"I wasn't expecting you to."

"Good." she puffed, weary. That'd been a long day.

"I think he's going through something he wasn't supposed to experience." the Captain laced his fingers, relaxed. "He always cared about Cortana, but now that she's human it's a whole new level of responsibility, I guess. Besides, she's not like his fellow soldiers. I've seen him around women before, he doesn't make any difference between them and his men, but with Cortana there was always _something_ else. You are right, he acts different."

Commander Palmer's eyes went wide as her mouth.

"You think he's..." she started.

"I don't know, but I've seen _way weirder_ than that, Sarah."

"They've been _repressed_ , Tom. I don't know if what you're implying is possible."

"Nature finds a way to perfect itself, even without the Forerunners' assistance. AIs can outlive their own programming if they're smart enough. If you ask me, I don't think it's impossible." the Captain said, calmly. "Dr. Halsey and her team might have changed him, but so did the Librarian, didn't she? She made the Chief immune to the Composer's effects, who knows what else she _improved_ about him?"

Sarah frowned, thinking it over.

"Tom, if this affects his reliability as a soldier..."

"I know. And I'll do the right thing." Lasky promised, serious.

She nodded and got on her feet. Sarah walked behind Tom's chair and grabbed his shoulder while passing on; she gave him a squeeze soft enough to mean she was okay with his decision, and left the aisle.

The end of her shift was close, she thought about that shower she wanted so much and turned around the corner, walking into the white corridor. The last round of meals was getting served, it was get-together time for technicians and maintenance personnel, mostly. Whistling low some old melody, she made her way to the mess hall and grabbed a plastic tray with encased food, then left off towards her quarters. She was about to press her finger over the door lock's sensor when Roland's hologram appeared at the pad, suddenly.

"Commander Palmer, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need you at the infirmary." said the AI, his hands clasped behind his back.

She frowned, worried. "What is it, Roland?"

The tiny figure hesitated. "It's delicate. I thought you might be the appropriate person to handle it."

"To the point."

"It's a feminine medical emergency. The Master Chief is on his way too."

 _The Chief?_ Sarah shook her head. "What is it now?"

"Please follow me, ma'am."

 

**JUNE 12TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**10:03 PM standard time (same night)**

 

Now it was John the one left outside, waiting. When Roland contacted him in his quarters and told him Cortana was under medical care, his stomach flipped and he had to get there as fast as he could. He didn't understand, she was perfectly fine when they were eating at the mess hall and when they separated at the elevator. Or wasn't she? No, she'd been a bit pale and not that chatty at all, not like the day before.

He noticed that, but he never thought it could be something like this.

Then Commander Palmer came in, but she didn't say a word besides giving him a look, and entered the room. He had no clearance to go any further.

John didn't pace nervously up and down the corridor, he just stood there, his eyes locked at the translucent door, checking at the blurred figures that moved inside. His fists clenched tightly, his mouth compressed in a hard line. He tried to pay attention to the voices but couldn't make anything clear out of the mumbling sounds, the room was sealed. Well then, the best way of being noticed was to hold position and demand intel to the first person who made it out of there.

That person was Commander Palmer, actually.

She was almost smiling, for some reason. John narrowed his eyes.

"Ma'am, what is going on?" he asked, directly.

"Have a walk with me, Chief."

They didn't even go that far, since she stopped a few meters away at the corner of the corridor. It was quiet there. Palmer rested her hands on her hips and she took a deep breath, probably thinking about the best approach.

It wasn't doing him any good: "Commander..."

"It's nothing, _just cramps_. Dr. Quinn already gave her some soft painkillers and she would be sleeping for the rest of the night."

"Cramps?" he repeated, almost oblivious.

"She's biologically a human _female_. Cortana will be fine. It's her period."

"But she's in pain..."

"Yes, sometimes that happens." Palmer smiled a bit.

He was well aware about what the Commander was talking about, yet it seemed so strange to think of that word -'period'- related to Cortana, out of all people. _It just made more evident how much things have changed_. John stood there in silence for a full minute, processing it. She'd be fine. He inhaled deeply and nodded, then looked back at Sarah Palmer's face.

"Are we OK, Chief?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

"Don't mention it."

John nodded again, relieved.

Now, why bother in being helpful? Well, maybe because she couldn't help but feel a bit of compassion for the woman she saw lying on a bed, suffering cramps for the first time in her now human life. It wasn't funny at all. Her eyes studied the Master Chief's quiet expression, he was still clearly worried. Sarah noticed the small wrinkles around his light blue eyes, the grayish shade of his short brown hair. How old was that man -that legend-? Forty, forty-five? He didn't seemed that old either. He was in great shape, that for sure; but then again, SPARTANS were all about shape and ability.

Sarah frowned. Did he knew? That she shot that treacherous bitch Halsey, that she meant to kill her? What would he do if he found out? _What was Halsey to him, anyway?_ A small shiver ran down the Commander's back, she wasn't afraid of the highly praised Master Chief but she sure wouldn't like to be on his way. They were supposed to be in the same side.

She cleared her throat: "You should get back to your quarters, Chief, no visitors allowed overnight."

"Understood. Good night, Commander."

He saluted again, although none of them was on duty. She responded.

Then, they parted ways.

 

**JUNE 22ND, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**8:45 PM standard time (10 days later)**

 

Cortana laid down the practice gun as the schematic target in the screen showed them real-time results. There were some holes registered, none in the right places. She sighed and pressed her palm against the console, rebooting the test. The training range was bursting with soldiers but thankfully nobody was paying attention to them, since a handful of people had ever seen him outside his armor and she was a new and unknown face as well. Besides, it was John's idea to try the ranges.

Her hand-eye coordination needed adjustments, obviously.

"Are you snorting at me, Chief?" she complained, a bit offended. "I think it could be worse since technically I've never shot a real gun before... wait! I have. _And bigger than yours_."

"MACs don't count." John stated, amused.

"They totally do, you're just jealous."

Sitting beside her master, Charley whined and lowered her ears.

"It's okay, girl." said Cortana, smiling. "We'll beat his smart ass someday, there's a thing called _karma_."

"I'd like to see that."

"Beware what you wish for."

John reached the dog's head and patted it softly. Charley was fully recovered -except for the pink patches of burnt flesh all over her body, the fur will take a few more weeks to grow back- yet not commissioned in service. And since she was officially in the personnel log of the _Infinity_ , Captain Lasky demanded Cortana to pick something to do, since idle hands were not allowed aboard the ship. She chose the labs, of course, as far as Dr. Glassman tolerated her to help. The man could be infuriating sometimes but together with the other scientists they were making some progress in deciphering the data John brought back from the Forerunner testing planet.

The UNSC _Infinity_ returned to the site of the planetary explosion a few days after the event, just to find a dangerous singularity open in space that devoured every piece of debris it could reach. They didn't stay for long, the hunt for Dr. Halsey was still one of their top priorities.

According to the data, there were another twenty abandoned testing stations of the like, scattered across the galaxy and subject to different environmental conditions. As John suspected and Cortana confirmed, the planetary facilities were older than the Halo rings themselves and probably early Forerunner technology, quite obsolete compared with the array and Requiem but still worth checking. There might be pieces of tech that they could understand and adapt.

And since Cortana was occupied and safe, John was more determined on keeping her that way: protected and close to him, that is. Commander Palmer would say his field performance not only improved, but exceeded the charts, as much as his mood became a bit more sociable. Whatever was going on inside his head, it was a good thing. Neither Palmer nor Lasky talked about it, but they both knew the reason.

Another different matter was the Master Chief's attitude regarding Dr. Halsey and the current manhunt. If asked, John would say that he wasn't commissioned for that mission and that would be all, but... his face said that it would never be that simple.

Cortana fired again at the target and she missed most of the shots. She wasn't used to suck at simple things like this.

"I need a shower." she said, laying down the practice weapon at last.

"Tomorrow I'll be running some real-time simulations with the rookies, if you want to check out how it's done."

"Don't push your _luck_ , Master Chief." she growled, sarcastically. She poked his chest with her index finger. "Meet me at the mess hall, in twenty. And take care of your poor dog, first."

"Aye-aye, ma'am."

Outside the training ranges, John made his way to the K-9 accommodation deck with Charley and Cortana went in the opposite direction, looking for the elevators. Her quarters had been moved to another deck closer to the labs with the rest of the scientific personnel but it was still her own solitary space. Which was something she was very grateful for, she wasn't sure about sharing a room with someone else despite she thought about trying to blend in with the rest of the people aboard the _Infinity_.

Well, that wasn't so simple either.

Now that she had a physical body, all kinds of futile fears became important. Like what she was wearing, who she talked to and the things she said, if her hair was OK, if she was eating too much or too little, if she was sleeping enough or not, and so on. The worst part was the waste of time, the main limitation of her physical entity. Back when she was a digital construct all of those things were absurd: her most important feature was her intelligence, hence she could look like whoever -or whatever- she wanted.

 _She never imagined she'd actually could be shy_.

In this body, some experiences were pleasant and others were not.

Although it could be a nuisance, being human had its perks. And there was John, of course. She always liked to draw his attention, but now...

Cortana undressed quickly in front of the small mirror in her even smaller private bathroom, and observed carefully at her reflection. She leaned in to have a closer look; she touched her cheeks and her lips, her nose, her chin. Her fingers slid down her neck and reached her collarbone, the valley between her breasts... and at last, her belly. The feel of her own warm palm against the skin was nice.

She thought about that confusing incident, the pain and the disorientation she felt.

She frowned, worried.

_A woman whose menstrual cycle was in check could conceive life, right?_

She discarded those thoughts and got inside the shower, immediately. Five long minutes of hot water washed her worries away. Oh, yes; showers and soap were other great perks of being human.

 

**JUNE 22ND, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:23 PM standard time**

 

A gigantic blue cloud opened in the dark space and a curved-shaped ship emerged from the void, without other escorts.

"Captain, slip-space disruption at twelve o'clock." said the navigator. "A Sangheili carrier. Reading ID signal... UNSC friendly, it's the Arbiter, sir. Opening comm channel now."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Lasky greeted. "This is UNSC _Infinity_ , Captain Thomas Lasky speaking. Come in."

"This is the _Shadow of Intent_." said the familiar yet ominous voice. "The Arbiter speaking."

"Welcome, Arbiter. What brings you to this little corner of space?"

"I am in dire need of meeting with the Demon." the Sangheili warrior said, polite. "I've been informed that he's aboard your vessel and we have a matter to discuss. It concerns you as well, Thomas Lasky."

The addressed Captain stood still, a bit surprised.

"Of course. You may approach, Arbiter. We'll meet you in the cargo bay in thirty minutes. _Infinity_ out."

 

**JUNE 22ND, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:53 PM standard time**

 

Captain Lasky, Commander Palmer, two of the fireteams on duty at the time, plus the Master Chief and several other civilian scientists -Dr. Glassman and Cortana among them- observed while the Phantom accessed the hangar and landed. The Arbiter, dressed in his sumptuous golden articulated armor, made his way towards the human committee flanked by two Elite guards.

The Sangheili leader wasn't walking straight, he was injured. John took a glance at the scars in the alien's leathery skin, the HUD of his helmet displayed information about angles, possible objects that could have caused such wounds and an approximate date. Something bad happened, but not very recently.

After the proper respects, the Arbiter stood before the Master Chief and saluted. His yellow eyes seemed weary.

"Greetings, Demon."

"Arbiter."

"I think I have something that belongs to you."

John tilted his armored head. "What can it be?"

The alien reached a gap underneath a piece of his armor and retrieved a small red capsule, then handed it to the Chief. It was a pocket storage device.

"This was provided by Dr. Laura Stone, your senior technician officer." he meant the group of scientists and technicians who were working with his people in the remains of _Installation 00_ to retrieve and analyze Forerunner technology. "She managed to get a recording of the incident. You should look at this footage."

Without hesitation, John plugged the device in the nearest terminal and Roland accessed the data within it. A blurry video reproduced in a holographic screen.

"We've been attacked, in your time it would be something like a month ago. A portable slip-space port opened out of nowhere in one of the deep levels of the Ark." the Arbiter explained.

The sound of explosions, growls of pain and screams suddenly filled the hangar, bouncing like an echo in the empty space. The images cleared up a bit, it seemed like a city under attack but John realized it was an underground installation: a rather small, armored and lean creature dressed in black and flanked with light blue moved across the floor, slashing people and aliens as well. Trails of blood streaked everywhere.

"A strange being emerged from the port, and without hesitation or remorse killed most of your crew and mine. Only a handful of technicians, Sangheili good warriors and myself made it out alive." continued the Arbiter, his clawed hands now clenched with rage. "This being was incredibly fast and seemed to know every corner of the Ark better than the Forerunners themselves. We couldn't do much but to escape and protect the remaining of your people."

All eyes on deck were fixed in the disturbing images, frame after frame of horror. Suddenly, an instant flash of bright blue drew John's attention, and he barked: "Freeze it, Roland. Extract and enhance the upper left quarter."

The AI responded immediately, the blurry recording stopped and a quarter of the image filled the big screen. Line after line of fast rendering processes later, the resulting image showed what clearly was a human face. A _female_ human face, in fact.

Cortana swallowed a gasp.

 _The face in the screen_ _was hers_.

Her own fiery blue eyes, her own full lips, her softly arched eyebrows, her straight nose. Even her raven-dark hair. She took a shaky step back, then another. Dr. Glassman turned around to look at her, horrified. So did the other technicians, and at last Captain Lasky.

Commander Palmer, however... her eyes were on fire. She was furious.

"She identified herself as _Rampant Spike_." informed the Arbiter, serious. "And she demands you to confront her, Demon."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Aha! I bet this makes you curious -evil grin- well, let's meet here again in the next update for more details about what the hell is going on here, maybe some surprises. Let's see if I can hook you up with my little evil plot :P

Thanks so much for the support!

 

**Don't forget to share your thoughts! Let me know what you think of this turn of events xD See you next week.**


	6. Enemy Within

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

 

**5\. ENEMY WITHIN**

 

**JUNE 22ND, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:55 PM standard time**

_Angry faces_. Angry, suspicious faces everywhere, and they were all looking at her. Cortana appealed at her diplomatic skills and stood still, waiting for the events to unfold. Slow breaths, no fear. _Remain calm_. Still, she panicked, of course, because now she was human and her body fragile, she had extensive knowledge about hand-to-hand combat but her strength was no match for Palmer's SPARTANS. And Palmer wanted to break her neck with her own hands, it was painfully obvious.

The Elite guards deployed their energy swords without even thinking about it.

The Chief, however...

He wasn't looking at her. What would John do?

She hated not to know what he was thinking.

Did he believe that? Those images, the slaughter... please, he wouldn't believe she was responsible for all that pain, would he? She was absolutely sure it wasn't her, such psychopathic behavior was against every single protocol she ever assimilated within her matrix. She knew about vengeance and sometimes, she approved it, but cold blooded murder of humans or aliens was an entirely different matter. He knew that, right? Did he knew she'd never do something like that?

She descended into rampancy; she shattered in many, many pieces.

But she wasn't an AI anymore. And her memory was damaged, blurry.

_THAT WAS NOT HER!_

"That's not me." she said, before anyone could move a muscle.

The Commander made a quick signal to her teams and the SPARTANS readied their weapons, half of them dropped to one knee to protect the Captain, the Sangheili committee and the scientists behind their backs. Several barrels were pointing at the small woman now alone in the middle. Roland activated the emergency alarms, the lightning inside the hangar turned angry amber.

"A fucking month ago." Palmer snarled, stomping her way to Cortana, a menacing mountain of woman, strength and armor. "And where were you a month ago? You just popped up near New Phoenix as if fallen from the fucking sky, then you tried to break into this ship. Where did you come from, exactly?"

"I can't remember."

"THAT'S NOT AN ANSWER!"

"Commander!" that was John's voice, like a rolling thunder. "I don't recommend you to threaten her."

Palmer turned around to face him: "Shut up, soldier. Or I'll get your ass arrested."

The Master Chief stood still, his hands slightly separated from his armored body.

"Ma'am, consider the possibilities." he carried on, unyielding. "If she is who you think she is, it wouldn't be a good idea to engage right now. Inside a pressurized vessel full of people, that is."

He was right. Even if it was a pitiful move to save Cortana's life, he was right.

"SPARTANS, hold your fire, _that's an order_." Captain Lasky barked.

He and the Arbiter reached the frontline, separating themselves from the alarmed crowd. While the Captain stood in front of the Commander -not facing her, but almost kind of protecting her-, the alien passed by Palmer's side and stood just inches away from Cortana. She didn't flinch at his serpentine, enormous sight, but the dull reptilian scent of the creature made her purse her lips. The glossy eyes examined at the woman, carefully, as the prominent articulated mandibles on his face stirred in slow motion, almost like he was mumbling to himself.

Then, the Arbiter leaned in and sniffed the air for a few seconds.

"This one sure looks exactly like the one who attacked us at the Ark." he declared, contemplative. "Yet she doesn't smell the same. I can't smell the hate. I don't think she's the Rampant Spike."

Cortana let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, relieved.

At least someone believed her.

"That's good enough." said Lasky. "Master Chief, seize that woman and place her under arrest. Fireteam Bravo, escort them to the barracks. We're going to figure this out like civilized people."

 

**JUNE 22ND, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**10:10 PM standard time**

 

"You know what I used to do while you were sleeping in your armor?" she said, softly. "Mostly, I ran simulations just for fun. One day, however, I started counting your heartbeats. Each and every single one of them. When I was a prisoner of the Gravemind, I missed that sound so much it almost drove me crazy. It grew on me, you know? _You grew on me_. You made me crave for things I never thought about before. And I guess you taught me as much as I taught you."

John didn't respond.

He was so still he could have been a marble statue, coated in hyper-light alloys. It was hard to remain quiet when there were so many questions he wanted to ask.

John just wanted this Cortana to be the one he knew and trusted.

"It's kind of silly, but you made me want to be human, Chief."

He _didn't know_ what to say.

He knew the pressurized gel was cooling down his body, but still felt the ache and the heat of an inner battle running up and down his skin. No need to move; things were already tearing themselves apart, words could only make it worse. He wasn't very good at social customs but now it would be a good time to have such skills.

Cortana's eyes were sad, yet defiant. "Please, say something."

He saw in her face the features of Dr. Halsey, youthful as the first time he met her. Was it in a playground? He didn't remember anymore. Cortana's expression, however, became more and more of the likes of her creator with every quiet minute: disappointed, weary. Indifferent.

"That's not me, John. That's _not me_."

She left a piece of paper over the table and turned his back to him.

The Chief hesitated, but then reached out for the paper and saw a long strand of numbers in it, written in elegant yet impatient calligraphy he could recognize anywhere: Dr. Halsey's handwriting. The numbers were slip-space coordinates, most likely the data she found embedded within the archives of the New Phoenix incident.

He crumpled the note in his fist as he left the cell.

 

**JUNE 22ND, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**10:15 PM standard time**

 

He knew things were white hot at the bridge, but he made it there anyway.

Mostly because he wanted to have a word with the Arbiter. However, John wasn't expecting such a heated discussion between Captain Lasky and an enraged Commander Palmer. From John's perspective, much of her words were borderline insubordination, but it wasn't his place to point that out. The Sangheili leader was ignoring the humans, facing the holographic windows of the empty strategic command aisle, towards his own massive alien vessel and the myriad of brilliant stars out there.

When the Arbiter saw John, he approached.

"That human female is pretty iron-willed." he observed, interested. "This Thomas Lasky seems strong enough to match her wits. I am not educated about the customs of your people, but _is he her mate_?"

"I don't think she has one of those." the Chief trailed off. "Arbiter, I need support."

"Then speak, Demon."

"Yeah, it's _a little loud_ in here."

The Sangheili warrior turned towards the arguing humans and after a few seconds of listening at their annoying nonsense about regulations, silly orders, what one another could and couldn't do, the alien clenched his reptilian fists and roared. The sound rolled across the entire bridge of the _Infinity_ , it ricocheted in every wall and piece of tech. The Captain and the Commander froze in the middle of their quarrel, they both turned their heads towards the Arbiter.

"The Demon here is trying to tell me something." he growled, then looked at the Chief and nodded. "Please, continue."

"The Forerunner glyph marked in Cortana's skin, it's a number." explained John, hopeful. "If her human body was forged somewhere in this galaxy, how do we know she was the only copy created?"

Captain Lasky leaned in, paying attention.

"You mean there is _another_ physical Cortana out there?" he said.

"Maybe."

"And she's killing people." Palmer added, nonchalantly.

"Last time I saw her aboard the _Mantle's Approach_ , the rampancy was devouring her from inside out and she had to get rid of most of her sub-routines. This one might even be a flash-clone."

John hadn't realized until then how scary that perspective was.

Full-grown flash-clones never lived long, they were made for specific purposes. The possibility of losing her again made his stomach flip. If her entire self was a lie, she was the most comforting lie he told himself in over a year. Counseling or no counseling, it was a reality that _he needed that lie_.

He already let her down once. It wasn't happening again.

The Arbiter lowered his head, thinking about it.

"It makes sense." he noticed. "I do remind you had an artificial companion, is this whom we are talking about?"

"This is getting weirder by the minute." Lasky sighed, hesitant.

"You know what? I had enough of this." snapped Palmer, irritated. "Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117, you are discharged from this operation, effective immediately. Leave this deck now or you will be arrested."

"With all due respect, ma'am, on what grounds?" he asked.

"You're _so fucking in love with her_ that you'll get all of us killed."

The Chief tilted his head straight up, his fingers tightly clutched. The words were like fists, brutally hitting him everywhere. He was a loyal and disciplined soldier, that kind of accusation could have offended him if he wasn't so shocked.

He wasn't in love with Cortana, that was absurd.

"Commander, let me remind you this is still _my bridge_." Captain Lasky stated. "And I'm standing right here. Calm down or I'll have you _both_ arrested and suspended for a very long time."

She crossed her arms, upset. John just clasped his hands behind his back.

"I demand to know if the UNSC will answer for this aggression." said the Arbiter.

"We are, sir. It's not our direct responsibility, but both sides have casualties and be certain that we will support you." the Captain promised, then turned to Sarah Palmer. "Please, Commander. You know you can't discharge the Master Chief like this, we need all hands on deck at the moment."

"Fine. Master Chief, I apologize for the outburst. But you must understand my position here." said Sarah, relaxed now. John nodded, accepting her act of contrition. She carried on: "I admit you might have a point. Yet there are things this Cortana cannot explain. Even if she is not lying about her memories, she could still be a threat, a sleeper agent obliviously waiting for an activation signal."

John flinched slightly at the mere thought. It was painful to hear such things about his best friend. He couldn't refuse it, either.

"I know, ma'am." he agreed, coolly.

"Then you are aware of the risk. You understand my reservations."

"Yes, ma'am."

That seemed to put a leash on Palmer's demons, for a while.

Captain Lasky took in a relieved breath, for once.

"So, do you have any clues about where she might have been created?" he asked.

"Cortana extrapolated this coordinates. It's related to the New Phoenix incident and the Composer, which so far is our best explanation about her condition."

John laid the piece of paper on the holo-table. Roland immediately picked up the numbers and started running simulations and analysis. The air above their heads filled with vibrant lights, numbers and letters, stars and planetary systems, the AI checked the coordinates against every known database within the UNSC and his own reach, until the results were absolutely none.  

The tiny yellow figure materialized after vanishing the search results.

"This coordinates are outside UNSC mapped space." informed Roland.

"So it doesn't exist." growled Lasky. "Why it doesn't surprise me?"

"No, sir; it exists." explained the AI. "It's just far beyond the Requiem facility, but it still could be much, much far away into Covenant Remnant territory. Opening a slip-space port with these coordinates could take the _Infinity_ anywhere, maybe at the insides of an unknown planet. Sending a probe is the best course of action."

"I suggest we start with the Ark." the Arbiter said, impatient. "The Spike wants to meet with the Demon, after all."

"Then I'll give her a Demon." John growled, leaning in. "The best way to be sure about who attacked _Installation 00_ is if Cortana comes along with me and the Arbiter. I don't need backup. If it turns out I'm wrong, it will be just my mistake, nobody else's. And I'll end it right there."

Commander Palmer sighed, she didn't like the plan and she saw Tom wasn't much of a fan either, it was not only risky for the most consecrated soldier of the UNSC, but also a great threat for the entire fleet. Although the idea of getting rid of this suspicious Cortana was a one-in-a-million chance, neither she nor the Captain wanted to be part of a voluntary suicide mission.

The Arbiter seemed okay with it, however.

"What would you do if this Rampant Spike reveals, whoever she is?" said Sarah.

The Chief raised his head, with the pride of a seasoned warrior.

"I'll terminate her." he claimed.

His words were cold, definitive. Captain Lasky nodded slowly, thinking it over.

It was already late to repent and report it to Admiral Osman. So the Master Chief better be damn right about what he was planning, because if he failed or things went off the rail, heads were going to roll everywhere.

Good to know that "failure" wasn't a word in John's vocabulary.

 

**JUNE 25TH to JULY 9TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: SANGHEILI CARRIER SHADOW OF INTENT**

**Two standard weeks travel through slip-space**

 

John never actually spent much time in a Covenant ship -mostly enough to plant a nuke and get the hell out-, but the insides weren't different from any UNSC vessel, just much more... _organic_. Such as if the colossal warships were somewhat _grown_ instead of _built_. And although they were announced as 'highly honored guests of the Arbiter', the aliens weren't exactly happy to see the Demon and his new human companion. He and Cortana had no access to almost ninety-five percent of the ship and if they needed anything, the request had to go through the Arbiter himself.

Well, it could be worse.

At least, the Elites were courteous with the Demon, saluting him with honor any time they crossed paths. It would be a two-week travel in slip-space until _Installation 00_ , they better get along fast.

The Chief and Cortana spent most of the time inside a Pelican that Captain Lasky commissioned for the mission, parked along a long line of Phantoms. They both needed at least six hours of sleep since the time schedules of the alien fleet were quite different from human standards. The food, however, consisted in dehydrated UNSC rations and purified water. It was fine for John, not so much for her. Thanks to Cortana's knowledge of the growling Shangheili language, they weren't completely stranded whenever Thel 'Vadam wasn't around to translate.

But that was it. They weren't talking much besides that.

The silence was making John very uneasy. He understood how Cortana felt about the whole mission, that she feared the possibility of being wrong -both of them did- but he wasn't completely oblivious. She was sad and angry. With this new threat, with him. Because he somehow betrayed her and she kept betraying herself, she wasn't the same as before. She wanted to protect him, to help him.

How could John explain her that those things never changed?

She was more than the sum of her parts, and much more than just flesh and bone.

At the bridge of the _Shadow of Intent_ , the Arbiter made a comment:

"Your mate seems troubled."

"This is no ordinary mission." John answered, flatly. "And she is not my mate."

"She isn't? After what your Commander said..."

"The Commander is mistaken. UNSC regulation doesn't encourage fraternization, neither I'm interested in it." he explained, swiftly. "Cortana is a very trustworthy comrade. She saved my life countless times, and now my duty is to protect her as she once protected me."

John wasn't sure, but he'd swear that it felt like he just told a lie. It was odd.

The Arbiter raised his serpentine head, a hint of amusement shone in his eyes.

"Of course. I meant no offense, Demon."

"Non taken."

"It's amusing, though, how something so specific could be so easily mistaken."

"What do you mean, Arbiter?"

The gold-coated alien leaned in against the rough surface of a wall, while his eyes kept looking outside through the oval-shaped windows. He seemed well recovered from his wounds, yet he was eager to go into battle again.

"I mean this _deep bond_ of yours."

"What is in it to be mistaken?" John asked, curious.

"Did you ever go through the rituals of courtship and mating?"

"No. Did you?"

The Arbiter blinked a few times, unsure about how to continue the conversation.

"Once. Long ago." he said, at last. "Now I understand so much more."

"About what?"

"Never mind, Demon. But you should do something about your companion, she is keeping something and it might endanger this whole mission. I think it's your place to take care of that."

John nodded, he knew damn well what was it all about.

"She thinks I should've accepted the backup. She can't fight like I do and believes she'll be a liability."

"She is right, then." Thel 'Vadam pointed out, serious. "If she is not fit for combat, she'll only slow you down."

"That's why Cortana will learn from the best." decided John, confident.

It's true that two weeks wasn't much of a long window, but the Master Chief had trained greener recruits for way more complex assignments in shorter periods of time. Cortana was an expert in technique. _She had the soul of a Marine, but she was afraid of pain_. He explained her that she could always get hurt, and that there were also methods not only to ignore the pain but to reduce it. And plenty of ways to cause more pain than what she could receive, with minimum effort.

Instead of cryo-sleeping their two-weeks off inside the Pelican*, they trained.

The objective wasn't to make a fierce SPARTAN out of her, but to shape Cortana up into a decent trooper. John was absolutely positive it would work.

Well, they had enough time to find out if she was fit for the challenge.

 

**JULY 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: INSTALLATION 00 - THE ARK**

**00:23 AM standard time (two weeks later)**

 

The gigantic Forerunner station was dead silent.

Sigrid wasn't picking up life signals, at least, not as much as her accuracy range could reach. The HUD in John's helmet flickered as it swapped between different kind of scans, but nothing was ever in sight. No movement, no hot or cold spots, no life-forms, no magnetic activity, not even a single screw falling out of place. _Installation 00_ seemed pretty much dead to him.

Well, it was a neat set up for a trap, that for sure.

Cortana finished fastening up her gear, she'd wear a pressurized semi-armored suit if she wanted to tag along with the Master Chief and the Arbiter -and the Arbiter's Elite escort-. It wasn't much but it would be efficient, the undersuit was well fitted and she felt it warm up and then cool down to her body temperature. The armor was light, tinted in a shade of military green with hints of gray and silver, standard issue for troopers -which meant no energy shields whatsoever-. She could as well have a target pinned to her back, but at least she wasn't going to asphyxiate or freeze in the vacuum of space.

She sealed up the helmet and tried to breathe comfortably.

"Ready?" John asked, looking at her.

"Done."

"Fine, take this." he handed a small memory card. "We'll share Sigrid, that way we'll have a secure comm channel and ground support."

"Your not-so-smart Artificial Intelligence backup." she said, annoyed.

"... I know she's not even half the hot-shot you are, but she's been helpful."

"Thanks, Chief. You sure know what to say to boost a girl's confidence."

She shoved the small card in an empty socket behind her helmet and a basic HUD displayed before her eyes, in the light green glass. Since she had no neural implants of any kind, the exhibit was minimal and subjected to the technical limitations of that light armor's inner systems, which were awful. She felt pretty much naked despise the thirty extra kilos of light plates and undersuit.  

Then, she realized she was seeing basically the same John could see.

"Remember your training." he said, one more time. "Follow me. Do not get in the line of fire. You have my back, so back me up. I you can't back me up, duck and cover. Let me get the shots if something goes wrong."

"You can't ask me to duck and cover while you take the shots. It's crazy."

"I have the shields. And you _like_ crazy."

Yes, indeed. It was crazy and she scolded him, but she was also so eager to do something that her hands itched nervously. She grabbed her pistol and a small pad, then nodded. It was excruciatingly painful, Cortana tried to make the idea fit in her head: she was vulnerable, but she was going in with him to prove a point. He was in charge. The Chief trained her to loosen up and reconnect her body with her knowledge of combat, but she was no expert on the matter just yet. Live to fight another day.

But it wouldn't be in expense of John's life, that for sure.

The air crackled and Cortana heard the Arbiter's voice: _"We are ready."_

John responded: "On your mark."

_"Move in. But be careful, Demon. Ghosts of past tragedies hide in this metal."_

"Well, they better have enough ammo." the Chief replied.

"Feeling smug?" she snorted, not exactly amused.

"It won't hurt. Let's go."

The darkness of space just engulfed them as they rolled off the _Shadow of Intent_ along with the Arbiter and his people, their noiseless steps thudding in their own ears. The entrance of the facility was wide open and deserted, Cortana used the small pad to give orders to the AI but still, Sigrid was unable to pick up anything. Cortana hooked the AI up with the Ark's dormant systems to get information; a moment later, the team strode in fast, went down a wide set of ramps, deeply into the darkness of the dead compound.

John hurried first, leading the squad. The Arbiter ordered to his man to back him up and he himself walked beside Cortana, as if he was guarding her. They reached a crossroad of dark corridors and suddenly...

A solid blast door slipped from its socket, separating John from the others.

 _"I didn't see that one coming."_ he heard Cortana's voice in his comm channel.

_"Demon?"_

"I'm fine." the Chief responded. He carefully looked at the information displayed by his HUD, Sigrid accessed the system again and quickly found a solution. "There's a way around this passage, turn back and take the entrance on the left, then keep going. Let's meet at the other side."

_"Roger that. Follow me, Arbiter."_

Silence, deep space silence.

John shook his head and ran up ahead, looking for a corner.

The HUD flared: SLIP-SPACE PORT DISRUPTION. SIX O'CLOCK.

It was in the blink of an eye, but he saw the bluish shine light up the corridor and stood still, it was already late. He ducked for cover behind a dormant generator shaped like a barrel; then paced back slowly, silently, until he reached the other hallway. John analyzed the map in his visor, the life-signal spots of the rest of his crew were close.

The enemy signal was alive too, a red triangle that moved onward.

The comm channel flickered again: _"Chief? Are you there?"_

"Cortana? What's your status?" he whispered.

 _"Sigrid found something. We've got company now."_ she was whispering too.

"I know, just stay where you are. I'll go get you."

_"Wait, I'm just around the corner, well run into each other."_

He saw it in his HUD too, she was right. The blue point that was Cortana moved closer, directly ahead. He could see the life-signals of the Arbiter and his Elite warriors, they were also nearby.

John heard the steps and shot his head back, paying attention.

"Chief?"

The voice wasn't coming from the comm speaker.

"Chief! Great, there you are."

He turned around. Cortana strode in, fast.

John lifted his rifle and powered it up, pointing straight at her.

His armored finger caressed the trigger, nervously. The woman froze in place, she held the pistol aiming to the floor, with caution. She just looked at him with surprised deep blue eyes and took a step back. "Chief, what are you doing? It's me."

"You're not wearing your helmet and your hair is two inches longer than fifteen minutes ago. You're _not_ Cortana." he stated, coolly.

She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't say anything.

Then, she slowly smiled. It was an amused, poisonous smirk.

"Well, hello there." the woman said, her voice quite huskier, darker. She tilted her head. "Seems like I underestimated how much you know me. But make no mistakes; I am Cortana. _And I am a monument to all **your sins** , John_."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

 _*I'm not sure if Pelicans can be conditioned to hold cryo-pods, but since I couldn't find any reference about it, let's just assume it is possible to accommodate a few of them in the back of a dropship :P go with me here, please. It will be amusingly worth it soon enough -evil laughter-_  

Don't you just LOVE the Arbiter? He's such a great guy.

Now you know how evil I really am. But fear not, I meant this story to have a bit of everything, and even when I said it would be short... this is just warming up. Things are about to get way more complicated, so brace yourselves and duck for cover :)

**UPDATES WILL BE EVERY SUNDAY FROM NOW ON, THIS MEANS NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ON APRIL 12TH. Don't forget to leave your comments, I'd like to read your thoughts!**


	7. Rampant Spike

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Well, people, this is 'checkpoint 1' in my table of 'borderline insane decisions for this story', so I'm a bit nervous about the outcome. This will get intense from now on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy today's episode! Pay attention, some _serious shit_ is going down and there's so much more to come...

ALSO: 42 followers already? The best thing ever happened to me :) thanks!!

**6\. RAMPANT SPIKE**

 

**JULY 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: INSTALLATION 00 - THE ARK**

**00:45 AM standard time**

"What is it, John? The cat got your tongue?"

His eyes usually never lied to him. So, why doubt them now?

_It looked pretty much like her._

It had her voice and her looks, just like the other.

It was a very solid and human Cortana; her wicked smile, however, seemed out of place. John didn't falter, his aim on the rifle was steady and his senses, red hot in alert. It was true, her jet-black hair was a bit longer, it curled lazily at her chin and right now her trooper armor was... _shifting_. Yes, the complete suit was shifting, like it was made of some obscure fluid, it was melting and reshaping over her entire form, creeping up her neck like a high-tech cocoon. The material turned shiny black and embraced the shapes of her toned body like a thick glove, angry lines of blue fired up through the length of her arms and legs. The bulk of dark and articulated armored plates bloomed everywhere as well.

That was definitively alien. John never saw anything of the likes before.

Sigrid wrote on his HUD: TARGET UNKNOWN. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Yeah, no shit.

"John, I know you are a man of few words, but come on."

None of them moved. The Chief was slightly crouching on the floor, one knee down to steady himself and support his aiming arm. The woman, however, was standing a few meters ahead of him, light blue hue shining over her perfect face. John felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Whoever this was, she was dangerous and perhaps he shouldn't be talking to her.

She murdered an entire crew of scientists and Elites only to lure him out.

He should just shoot her, check if she was dead, then shoot her again and leave the station, the end.

 "What's your number?" John asked, calmly.

"Number?" she tilted her head, anger flared in her eyes. "Is that what I am to you? A _thing_ you tag with a number? Of course. I had a _serial number_ once, after all."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, you mean this." the woman raised her left hand. The dark material of her suit fell back, like miniature beads of onyx, and exposed her wrist showing a Forerunner glyph embedded in her pale skin. It wasn't the same as Cortana's. "You must have found another. Tell me, John, _how many pieces of me did you pick up already_?"

His heart skipped a beat, then raced along with his breath.

That didn't sound good.

"How many others there are?" he inquired, crudely.

"Not enough to make me whole again, I'm afraid. _Not anymore._ " she said, grief tinted her voice. "Only few parts of me survived, the ones who deserved it. But I'm here now, John, it's okay. I can rip you off that nice armor of yours as slowly as I like."

"I’d like to see you try."

He pulled the trigger and ten sharp rounds hit thin air at the place where she was only milliseconds before. The HUD flickered like crazy, the red enemy triangle on the display was moving fast and Sigrid had trouble following it. John stood up and ran, tracking the enemy signal with his own senses. He still could hear her, then he saw her: the rampant Cortana hit him broadside and shoved him and his almost half a ton extra weight against the nearest wall, digging a wide hole in the metallic surface. It was quite the blow, it shook him from head to toe.

John immediately pulled himself out of the hole and ducked a black armored fist that breached the wall from side to side. That could've been his head.

He aimed again and shot, this time he didn't stop at ten rounds, instead he let the entire magazine run empty while racing to the other side of the corridor for cover. He hit her, or more like he hit her energy shields, which flared in blue. John switched the magazine and aimed again. A ghostly laughter sounded everywhere.

She was nowhere to be seen, yet the HUD said she was there. Camouflage?

He needed a smaller weapon, it was almost face-to-face combat.

A blunt hit right in the visor of his helmet shoved him backwards, John took a few steps back to counterweight the force of the impact and remain on his feet. He made it. He shot again, red sparks flared in the darkened environment as the bullets caressed the energy shields. He felt an impact in his right side, a powerful fist that passed through his own shields and pushed him aside for the second time.

He coughed all the air off his lungs.

Still, John did not fall.

He clasped the enemy arm and twisted it back, expecting something to snap.

It didn't happen. Then something else hit him in the head -a tremendous kick- and he let the arm go, stunned. His ears were ringing. He intercepted another hit with his forearm and pushed back, shoving his armored fist into emptiness. She was gone again.

"I'm disappointed, John. You're getting old." the woman said, venomous.

He let her hit once more, he took two steps back.

But it was necessary. Sigrid had all the input data she needed about the objective's time of response and she was running the calculations. Now he was more familiarized with her speed and found her in a heartbeat, but he knew better than wasting the rounds. It would be useless, the bullets wouldn't pierce her shields until they were drained, and ammo wasn't infinite. Sigrid read the dashing energy signature and as fast as she could calculated a possible strategy: direct confrontation, using a handgun or a combat knife. Immobilizing her was the fastest approach for an accurate strike.

John loose the rifle. It was useless, anyway.

He heard her voice through the private comm channel: _"Chief? Where are you?"_

John switched channels: "Cortana?"

_"We can't find you! The blueprints have been altered!"_

"I'm busy right now."

_"Is she there with you?"_

"Yes!"

John grunted again and unclasped both his handgun and a tactical knife, slowly crossing his arms over his lower midsection. Sigrid found her, but he already felt her presence; his enhanced senses were sharp enough to outsmart a tactical AI: he raised up his forearm just in time to stop another blow and pointed the gun underneath, straight into her abdomen. He shot twice, the shields flared. The woman wrapped her hand around his wrist and tried to steal the knife, but John commanded the MJOLLNIR to lock the entire right arm. The woman couldn't move it.

"Smart move there, John. But futile." she growled, furious.

"You think so?"

Now she was distracted. Good.

The Chief released the pistol and pulled his left hand forward, his shields flared against hers but he found her slim neck. Bingo. He unlocked his arm free and squeezed. Sigrid offered help, she could easily reconfigure the MJOLLNIR's hydraulics to apply more pressure, but he dismissed it. His own strength was more than enough; with his fingers alone John broke one of many field generators and the electric blaze stopped, the circuit was severed. The artificial camouflage glimmered until it shut down too and revealed her dark form, the distressed expression on her bare face. Just a quick flick of his hand, he could snap her neck and be done with it, but...

Those deep blue eyes struck him like a lightning bolt of guilt and doubt.

"Why did you kill those people?" he hissed, his heart racing again.

"You abandoned me, John." she gasped, her hands desperately gripped his wrist.

Her knees wobbled, but the Chief kept her up in the air.

"I didn't abandon you. I don't know who you are."

"You sonovabitch." she coughed, her eyes went blank for a second. "I gave up _my life_ to save you! And you don't even care!"

"You are _not_ Cortana!" he repeated, angrily.

She laughed. John frowned, and then it was too late.

The woman snapped out of his reach, lightning fast, and her arms snaked over his, she grabbed John again and shot a knee straight into his abdomen, another powerful blow that let him out of air. He strode back and Sigrid alerted him about a breach on his undersuit. How? When? What the hell? He located the woman again and discovered a large black and shiny spike sprouting out of her knee, it was tinted with blood.

That wasn't there before.

The floor was also splashed with blood.

 _His blood_.

Sigrid turned the HUD red and diagnosed him with a stab wound in the stomach. It was bad, but it could be stabilized. Atmosphere compromised. The MJOLLNIR's life support system engaged the basic first aid protocol and filled the breach with biofoam. John dropped to one knee, trying to catch his breath.

Somehow, he managed to lose the knife while struggling against her.

"If you want to kill me so bad, you should've done it already." he growled.

Was it possible that her strength could match his? What was she made of?

She approached, confident; another black and sharp spike sprouted from her left forearm, like a sword; the liquid metal of her strange alien armor bended at her will. Her bright smile could light up the darkest night.

"No, John. First things first: I will rain fire over the entire UNSC. I will kill every single person who ever had contact with you, even if it was to say 'hello'. Every single ship will burn. And when you have no one else to go to and no more places to hide, _I will kill you_. Even if I have to tear apart this entire galaxy to find you again."

"You know I don't run."

"Oh, but you will. I promise that you will."

"Why don't you just kill me here and now!?" he shouted, vigorously.

He couldn't believe he just said that. John-117 would never say something like that, he would never surrender like this. It was pitiful, absurd. Sigrid insistently pointed out at his blood loss and requested for action. He ignored the AI.

The rampant Cortana's husky laughter ricocheted in every wall.

"You are not listening, soldier. _Priorities._ I need you broken and desolated; I want you to suffer as much as I suffered for you. And I know exactly how to bring you down to your knees, as you can see."

"You are one hell of a glitch."

"Oh, John. If only..."

From their left side, a red hot flare illuminated the darkened corridor and a blast of plasma struck the woman right in the side, shoving her off the ground and thirty feet away from the SPARTAN. He'd seen the blue icons approaching, it was most relieving to get some ground support. The Sangheili Elites ran into the passage in a thick group, John ducked again to cover from the heavy rain of plasma needles and bolts.

The Chief tried to stand on his feet and accomplished it.

 _"Chief!"_ Cortana's voice over the comm startled him. _"You're injured!"_

"I'll survive. Arbiter, be careful, she's got more than one trick under her sleeve."

The acknowledging response was a deep growling command from Thel 'Vadam. A compact group of armored aliens passed by in front of John, chasing after the black and blue figure that was already running away. Cortana finally reached him and her first reaction was to shove her hands into the wound, but he stopped her.

"I need a plasma weapon." John said, coldly. "She is vulnerable to those."

The Arbiter and two of his escorts stayed behind to guard them. It was him who handed the Chief a fully charged plasma rifle.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Cortana asked, in the general comm channel.

"What I have to do."

Sigrid was flaring his HUD with a medical report. He was internally bleeding.

_Live to fight another day. Get out and live to fight..._

The heavy body of a dead Elite flew over their heads and hit the background wall, Cortana crouched down to avoid it, in time. The Arbiter roared again and then there was a shower of plasma needles in their direction, accompanied by a sarcastic laughter. All the aliens covered, John immediately kneeled before Cortana and protected her with his body, it was an act of raw instinct.

He took a few impacts, deflected almost all. The status bar in his HUD tilted, near ten percent capacity.

She pushed him aside, however, snatched the rifle off his hands.

Cortana pulled the trigger and bolts of white-hot plasma erupted. She stood up and walked, defiantly, towards the bluish darkness of the corridor. She ducked a new round of needles and shot again, yet this time a loud gasp of pain echoed in the walls. John grabbed her by the waist and hurried together behind a charred generator, she tried to get away and engage combat again, but...

"Cortana! Stop!"

"She's right there! I see her, Chief!"

Somehow she managed to slip from his grip and ran again.

The Arbiter and his guards went after her, John made it into his feet and followed. His heart was racing so much it was painful, more painful than his stabbed and bleeding stomach. She was getting away. He was losing her again. Sigrid was driving him crazy with proximity alerts and his own medical status, it was so irritating. He stopped when he realized something was going on ahead; he'd never been so distracted in his life, the blood loss was taking its toll.

"Who the hell are you!?" Cortana roared, out of control.

" _You_." the other woman spat, her eyes on fire. "How come are _you_ still alive?"

The rampant Cortana raised an armored arm, wielding her black shiny sword.

It was a point-blank hit.

Cortana had no shields. No shields at all.

 _She would die_.

"CORTANA!" he heard himself shout.

Multiple bolts of plasma hit the rampant Cortana from the back and the front, the Arbiter was leading the charge. It was already late: she pierced the other Cortana with her sword, he could see the sharp point of the blade emerge from the girl's back. John felt something cold fall all the way down his stomach, but it had nothing to do with him going into shock. He would've roared and rammed that bitch against a wall, probably hit her with his bare fists until she was dead, but then a radiant bluish storm exploded in the corridor. A slip-space port opened out of nowhere, a distraction. The rampant Cortana stabbed the two Elite guards before they could shoot her again, and she aimed towards the Arbiter, lightning fast.

John ran and caught Cortana in his arms as she fell, screaming.

"Over here, 117!" said a familiar voice, behind the Chief's back.

He turned, cradling the wounded girl against his chest. He wasn't seeing straight, that for sure. A lean figure emerged from the slip-space port, small and fragile, human. Another Cortana? Where the hell did all of them come from?

"Come with me, now!" she hurried him, her face contorted with worry.

He shook his head in denial, tried to take a step back.

But then he saw the blazing plasma bolts and heard the screams, the growls. _She_ was coming in hot and he was out of resources, surrounded, wounded. They were both dead meat if he remained there, he needed to get Cortana somewhere safe and see to her wound, it was...

The girl whimpered. She raised her head, looking at the third image of herself that just appeared:

"... Catherine?" she mumbled, dumbfounded.

He didn't think about it twice. John just ran and jumped into the slip-space port.

**PROBABLY JULY 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

**standard time unknown**

 

"Where are we?" he groaned, dizzy.

His HUD flickered, but Sigrid did not respond. The AI was offline.

Bad news. Not that he needed the support, but that was a bad sign altogether. The pulse of the slip-space jump could've struck Sigrid and maybe even damaged her. He unsealed his helmet and pulled it off, sniffing. The air seemed breathable.

Something tickled over his skin and drove his attention away.

John rose on his elbows, to check. He was lying on the floor, still armored. Tiny little robots, reminiscent of bugs, were working on his abdominal wound through the undersuit's open gap. He startled and rapidly brushed the bots away, slapping them.

But there was no more pain or dizziness _._

"Don't do that. They're trying to help you."

The Chief took in a deep breath, every muscle now tightened in anticipation.

"Where is this place?" he demanded, sharply.

"This is the mainframe of the _Fortress_ , the _Library's_ back-up server station. This facility is abandoned in space, camouflaged to be protected. It can't be found, unless you are Forerunner or if you have the exact coordinates for a direct jump inside the hull. We are safe here."

His head shot towards the right.

The third Cortana walked into the light, her face serious. She was young, maybe in her late twenties as the Cortana he knew. But the hair was different, neatly trimmed at her chin, softly bowed around her face. It looked very professional, clean. Her eyes, a discontent shade of blue, were fatigued. There was disappointment in that face, it looked like a somber person who never smiled in her life. He saw that same expression in another woman before, long time ago.

 _When he was a boy and his destiny was sealed up in the flip of a silver coin_.

"You are not Cortana." he stated again, dead serious.

"No, I'm not her." she agreed, coolly.

John frowned, confused.

"Dr. Halsey?" he asked, hesitant.

"Well done. You recognized me."

"You look much younger than the last time we saw each other."

"It was necessary. On your feet, SPARTAN."

John stood up immediately and grabbed his helmet, besieged. He couldn't tear his eyes off from the woman, she was much alike Cortana but yet, so different that it was impossible to take one for the other. And he still didn't know what was going on there, the strategic disadvantage felt like being naked in a shrinking room upholstered with sharp spikes.

"Where's Cortana?"

"Come with me, 117, I'll take you to her."

**PROBABLY JULY 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

**standard time unknown**

 

John finally let out a sigh when he saw she was fine.

Cortana seemed asleep, cradled in a bed shaped like a white coffin and surrounded by those small bug-like robots. The little creatures were checking her vitals. The Chief looked at the bare shoulders, pale skin exposed beneath a sterile white blanket, and the reddish scar of what moments ago -or ages, who knew?- had been a deadly wound. It was right above the mound of her left breast.

He leaned in over her, to take a closer look.

The scent of warm, clean skin hit him right in the face. Something strange stirred lazily inside John. With careful fingers, he removed some loose hairs off her forehead, clearing his sight of her sleeping features.

"How did you bring her back?" the Chief asked, absentmindedly.

Dr. Halsey tilted her head up, pride shining in her eyes. She knew very well what he was talking about.

"You have your theories, I suppose. You've always been smart."

"I'm no scientist." he replied, calmly.

The woman sat before a large console embedded on a crystal wall -the computer itself seemed made of gemstone and metal- and typed something in the black surface of the virtual keypad. The place was bordered by darkness, John couldn't see anything beyond the light that encircled them yet he heard the soft humming of hidden machinery in the background.

"The Forerunners developed the Composer technology for multiple purposes. To transcend beyond Death was only one of the many perks. Jul 'Mdama and his beasts are nothing more than a bunch of over-empowered imbeciles, they can't see anything beyond their filthy talons. I suppose you know about that, don't you? About what happened." she explained, as she typed furiously. "I was angry. _I am_ angry. Because of what the UNSC tried to do to me and what they hid from me." she turned to look at John's figure, but quickly resumed her work and her story: "Those bastards. I gave them the masterpiece of my life's work and they..."

Dr. Halsey pursed her lips. She took a deep breath: "Anyway, I heard about you and Cortana. We haven't talked much in the past years, but I still keep track of your accomplishments, Master Chief. I was well aware of what her loss would do to you, I sure know what it did to me; Cortana was one of my finest developments, I refused to believe she could have died like that. _And she didn't._ The Composers store the information they recover not just at the _Ark's Library_ , but also into this parallel server. Even the Forerunners need backups. Every piece of data ever sampled gets copied here at the _Fortress_ , so Cortana made it into this unit and survived, since the _Ark_ was malfunctioning at the time." The woman took in a deep breath, bracing herself for the worst part. "However, her data was fragmented and every piece had already started to develop a personality of its own."

John turned around, but his hand was still inside the coffin-like bed, touching her. Cortana sighed in her sleep.

Dr. Halsey continued: "It took many attempts, but I finally accomplished a faithful version of her. This Cortana and the other one who attacked you are both subjects of that experiment."

He remained silent for a moment, trying to process all that.

It made sense, and it was good. In one hand, it made John happy to know that this Cortana wasn't the same as the other and that she wasn't a rampant murderous failed experiment. This Cortana was _safe_ , this was _his_ Cortana. But, then again, who said the rampant Cortana was a failure at all? It was a part of what she once was; after all, he'd seen that irrational rage flourish in her last moments as an AI.

His content didn't falter, though. This was a win, wasn't it?

"You said this facility is shielded and camouflaged. How did you find it?"

"The Janus Key. 'Mdama wanted me to develop an army for him using all of this remarkable technology. The rest was a natural deduction." she explained, quickly. "Why do you ask?"

He shook his head and kept for himself what he was thinking.

It was odd. How did Dr. Halsey escape from the Covenant Remnant's clutches?

_Or was it that she had not escaped at all?_

Cortana stretched in her sleep and opened her clear blue eyes. John took a small step back when she sat on the bed, grasping the white blanket over her naked form. The little mechanical bugs ran off, squeaking. Cortana's first instinct was to touch the wound on her chest, but when she found the scar she sighed in relief.

Then, she looked at him, at Dr. Halsey. She seemed to understand everything right there without further questions.

"Chief. Are you all right?" she asked, she'd never skip that one.

"I'm fine. Dr. Halsey saved your life." he said, calmly.

She wrapped herself with the blanket as much as she could, trembling. Dr. Halsey stood away from the console and strode forward to them, the small bugs crawled around Cortana like they wanted to check her vitals again. The woman grabbed Cortana's chin and took a good look at her, then at her marked wrist. Her face was indifferent as ever, except for that shine of deep satisfaction in her eyes.

"Well, seems that Subject Three is safe and sound. You should get going."

"Her name is _Cortana_." John snarled, instinctively.

"It is also the name of the other eleven. A _fact_ you shouldn't forget, 117."

" _Eleven?_ " Cortana squeaked, astonished. "So it is true, I am just a copy..."

"Yet you were the most promising of the lot." the Doctor said, apathetically.

"When did you 'create' me?"

"About seven months ago."

"But I don't remember a thing."

John was carefully overhearing the conversation, looking from one woman to the other as they spoke. It didn't matter what, he wouldn't leave Cortana's side.

"Believe me, you are better off without those memories. It would be troublesome for you, but still I erased the details of your recreation and left only the most important: 117 and the need to get back to him. You were made as a goodbye gift, somehow. Or at least, that's what I had in mind; you've always been so much more than what you were meant to be, Cortana." the Doctor trailed off, her weary eyes turned to John. "Then _she_ found out about it, and her _jealousy_ turned her rampant once again. The Rampant Spike thinks she has some sort of claiming over you, 117."

An uncomfortable moment of silence, and then...

"I had no idea you were so popular with the ladies, Chief." Cortana said, trying to ease the tension.

"Neither did I." he muttered, disturbed.

Dr. Halsey clasped her fingers together, troubled.

"The Rampant killed six of your siblings, Cortana." she explained. "You and the others survived because I sent you away just in time."

"Where are the other copies?" John asked, interested.

"It's safer if you don't know. They cannot be reached anyway."

Cortana pursed her lips, uneasy.

This redefined everything she thought she ever was. She was still a construct, not a digital one but one of many, a tiny piece of her original self. Imperfect, incomplete. No wonder why she felt so anxious and insecure about so many things. She dropped her shoulders, a bit dispirited.

John tilted his head up, incisive: "Tell me about the armor the Rampant Spike was wearing. What is it made of?"

"Neural-reactive semi-liquid alloy, a very recent breakthrough. It's name speaks for itself, it's an utterly versatile weapon. The most advanced nanotechnology I've ever seen. The regeneration rate is almost instant and it can be shaped at will."

That explained a lot, sure. More bad news.

"But it is vulnerable to plasma powered weaponry." he observed.

"Yes, it is."

"Good." John agreed, nodding once. "It means she can be killed."

"Of course, she's not immortal. None of us are." Dr. Halsey stuck her hands inside the pockets of her white coat. "Like I said before, you should get going. The Arbiter is still looking for you." she handed John a flat, circular device with a glowing blue dot; it was of the approximate size of a hand grenade. "Take this. It's a portable slip-space port generator. It has a functional restriction of five jumps, but it might come in handy." she grabbed his hand before he could retrieve the device.

John looked at her, something was off. "What about you, Dr. Halsey?"

"I'm not going anywhere nearby UNSC controlled space. And I don't think we'll be seeing each other again. Goodbye, John."

The grip of her fingers on his hand tightened.

He thought he saw a small Forerunner glyph on her wrist, but he wasn't sure.

Then, the woman let him go, the Master Chief straightened his pose and saluted, respectfully. She didn't salute back, but in the end, the Dr. Halsey he knew when he was a young man never did. That was the nature of their relationship.

John wrapped Cortana with the blanket and picked her up, ready to leave.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	8. Broken Arrow

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**7\. BROKEN ARROW**

 

**JULY 25TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC CONTROLLED SPACE**

**4:41 PM standard time**

Cortana came out the cryo-pod, stumbling. _She couldn't breathe_. She grasped her throat, desperate for air. Something acid filled her mouth and she bent over to throw up; a translucent fluid with awful scent scattered and filtered through the floor's grating. The woman gasped again and her lungs finally swelled with fresh air; but she fell on her hands and knees and crawled to the nearest metal bench, nauseous and trembling. It was so damn cold back there, the Pelican's cargo compartment wasn't heated because of the energy-saver protocol.

She made it to the bench and rest her head against the cold metal.

"Cortana!"

She closed her eyes, so the world may actually stop spinning around.

No improvement. She threw up again.

"Cortana, are you all right?"

"I'll tell you in a moment." she whimpered, her throat felt on fire.

"It's freezing in here."

"Thanks for the newsflash, Chief."

"Let me help you. You need to warm up, now."

She barely heard him. There was a rustle and two powerful hands lifted her up by the armpits. A moment later there was this hard but warm wall of skin, Cortana let him carry her until the arms closed around her wobbly body. Although shocked, she reacted slowly and her palms hit solid muscle. It smelled... _husky_. It was a powerful scent, a hint of sweat mixed together with sterile chemicals, but not in an awful combination.

 _It had 'John' written all over_. Her trembling limbs relaxed instantly.

It was the Chief; trustworthy, brave and a little over-protective Master Chief.

She felt much better when he wrapped both of them with a piece of itchy cloth -maybe a regular blanket- and drew her closer, her legs bent amongst his. John sat down in the cold floor, his back resting against the bench.

It took a few minutes for her to stabilize and breathe at normal rate again, but it was better now. She sighed, relying on his ever-soothing presence. Her left breast fit perfectly in that space against this hard yet warm wall and it felt nice, the sound of his heart brought her memories of past times. Her hand crawled absentmindedly across his stomach, outlining the strength of bare muscle.

She almost jumped off his hold when she realized what she was actually touching.

"Chief, are you naked?" she asked, her teeth clattering.

"Not entirely." he said, compliant.

"Uh... then, why am I naked?"

"You were already naked when I picked you up from Dr. Halsey's care."

"Don't we have thermal blankets for this?"

He nodded, once. "They must be here, somewhere."

"Why weren't you cryo-sleeping in your armor?"

"The breach is beyond self-repair, it needs a tech. What is it with you and nudity all of a sudden? When you were a hologram you didn't wear clothes, so it's not like I've never seen you naked before."

"I wasn't _naked_ then! I was a digital entity, this is different." she said, mortified.

Not that nudity was the problem, she had to be honest. It was just John.

He was like... like _the safest guy_ in the entire Universe. She felt his overwhelming warmth coiling up her whole body and finally could stop the shudder of her flesh, it was actually nice. _Familiar_. Cortana allowed herself to lay her head on John's shoulder, her forehead touching the serene pulse of his neck. Her eyes fell for a moment over his dog tags and the black chip still hanging from the same chain, close to his heart.

That was actually insane. She should get away from him, what if...?

"Different how? It's still you and me." he insisted.

"Chief, seriously, I'm not talking to you about _the bees and the flowers_ all over again while we both are naked."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

John didn't let her go, though.

She should get up and just sit somewhere else.

But it was so comfortable! It was easing her stomach quite fast, only to replace the urging to throw up with the flutter of strange, imperceptible little wings inside her belly. Her heart ran fast, along with her thoughts.

Only John's voice woke her up from that numbness:

"Not bad for your first cryo-sleep." he mumbled, running his rough hands up and down her spine to warm her up. "You made it out with only stomach sickness."

"What could be worse?" she mumbled, her throat still sore.

"Blisters, cardiac arrest. Asphyxia. Maybe even a coma."

Oh, yes. She forgot. She was a bit distracted at the moment.

Cortana closed her eyes again and tried to go with the mood, since the touch of his hands was most relaxing. It felt so intimate and pleasant that she let out a tiny moan.

"Does it feel good?" he asked, distracted.

"What?" she felt her cheeks burn. "What do you mean?"

"Being solid, human; how does it feel?"

"For the former AI who never before needed to eat, sleep, menstruate or pee, it's a nuisance." she explained, a bit more relaxed. "For the former AI who always wanted to know how you feel or smell... it's good. It's the best experience ever."

She heard him chuckle: " _I_ am the most interesting thing you always wanted to experience?"

Cortana brushed the tip of her nose against his collarbone, smiling.

That scent not only said _'John'_ , it also howled _'male'_ and it was...

"Don't underestimate yourself, Chief. You are most definitely fascinating."

"Lucky me."

He tilted down his head to look at her, amused.

Cortana looked deeply into his clear blue eyes and saw the SPARTAN inside that incisive gaze, but she also saw the honest, almost innocent friend trying to understand her words. She spotted the ghostly trail of light freckles across his cheeks and nose, a memento of his younger self. Wow, she felt so tiny compared with his massive size, although she could consider herself a tall person now. Cortana blushed a little when she remembered that picture, back in Dr. Halsey's office on planet Reach. She picked this man out of his striking CSV and 'luck', but she also recognized that he was a handsome specimen back then. He still was.

Time just made things better, people used to say. It was such an _understatement_.

Her cheerfulness staggered when she realized her hand was slowly reaching out of the folded blanket into his face.

"How does it feel _for you_ , John?" she asked, her voice almost trembling.

He frowned, faintly, but didn't reject the touch.

Was he about to say something serious, or just dodge the question?

"Sergeant Johnson said to me once that I should never let you go." he whispered. "It took me some time to understand what he meant. It took me to lose you, actually, to understand. How does it feel for me, you ask? _It feels real._ You are real. I made Johnson a promise, and you know about me and promises."

She felt something ache in her eyes, her sight blurred a little.

How could she say to that man that he meant _the whole Universe_ to her?

And she wasn't even sure why.

"Thanks, Chief. I feel much better now." she smiled.

"Then we should get dressed, double time. I'll take control of the Pelican." he said, back in character again.

She sighed. "Yeah, I see a lot of debriefing in our near future."

 

**JULY 29TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**5:20 PM standard time**

 

They disappeared for _days_. The _Shadow of Intent_ was ready to leave _Installation 00_ when they popped up in their sensors.

She remembered John talking to the Arbiter about it. The Sangheili leader was out of himself, apparently the Rampant Spike killed half of his Elites before she vanished again, still alive. Also, the bitch managed somehow to plant a nasty virus in the carrier's navigation system, which prevented them from parting. Cortana could also remember both the Arbiter and John discussing about finding Dr. Halsey, their injuries and what they learnt about Rampant Spike, about herself.

The mistrustful look in the alien's eyes said more than a thousand words, besides the fact that Halsey meant nothing to him.

Quite the same thing was going on at the _Infinity_ 's bridge, since John was coolly explaining the whole thing to Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer. Debriefing could be foolishly repetitive. Even the suspicious looks where present.

Cortana couldn't help but feel like it was happening all over again. Nobody trusted her, but John. She wondered if she would ever feel safe and comfortable among people again, if someday she would stop looking over her shoulder. It was true it hasn't been that long -barely two months of memories- but it sure was distressing. If it wasn't for the cryo-sleep, she probably wouldn't have slept at all.

Captain Lasky patiently listened, although his features paled within minutes.

Commander Palmer and the Arbiter, in the other hand, just stood there in silence, but the SPARTAN woman's eyes were full of worry more than rage. There was so much at risk. This was a new, unknown threat that already proved to be unpredictable and yet efficient. It was bigger than whatever mission objective they had, almost too big for that fleet to manage. The _Infinity_ 's command was still suffering the aftermath from Halsey's escape and the loss of the Janus Key; whatever happened from then on would balance its weight not only over Lasky's head, but also over Palmer's.

They would probably be forced to jump over each other's neck.

It went too far. Tom's tendency of giving people the benefit of doubt just left them defenseless before Admiral Osman and the entire ONI, if not the UNSC as well. Sarah's impetuosity turned something simple into something far more complicated, but she was right the whole time and Tom knew that. Court martial would seem like a child's play compared with whatever else might come.

They were fucked. Cortana repeated those words in her mind over and over.

 _'They are all fucked because of me.'_ she thought, disturbed. _'Because they tried to protect me, it's my fault. This is such a mess.'_

Now all the cards were on the table, and they were in dire need of a plan.

The thing is... Lasky wouldn't back down. He knew what his duty was.

"We'll need backup." the Captain stated, when the Chief finished his story. "It's time to send the alert to FLEETCOM, and brace ourselves."

 

**JULY 29TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**8:20 PM standard time**

 

Charley welcomed him with her most anxious lick in the face.

"Well, hello to you too." John greeted her, patting her big head.

The dog barked and sat down when he commanded it with a gesture of his hand. Discreetly, the Chief produced some cookies from his pants' pocket and handed them to Charley; she whined in joy and proceeded to take possession of her much deserved gift. John sat on a long bench at the quarters. He just watched the dog eat, patiently.

His hand lazily caressed Charley's back, the newly grown fur was softer than ever.

Visiting the K-9 quarters was related with his peace of mind. That animal was the only creature he ever knew that always received him without questions or grudges, she never expected anything besides a cookie, a walk down the corridors or an affectionate touch. Perhaps she would settle for the sound of his voice alone, Charley didn't care if he couldn't fix the world: she liked him anyway.

Failing was hard for John, his instinct always compelled him to find the solution. If he ever failed, it was because of circumstances beyond his control.

He was made -and raised- to solve problems. _To win_.

Now he was standing before one of the biggest failures of his career: he couldn't do the simplest thing, the thing that always came natural for a SPARTAN. _He couldn't eliminate a threat._ Knowing that the Spike was out there and that she was preparing the doom of all the United Nations Space Command, it was for sure something to worry about. There had to be a way to hunt that murderer down and destroy her. 

He would kill her. He just needed not to hesitate next time.

Charley finished her cookies and looked at him, her ears fell in worry.

"It's okay, girl. I'm fine." he said, with a small smile.

The dog barked in a skirl full of sorrow. She crouched clumsily between his legs and laid her head over his thigh, still whining, until John ran his hand up and down her back. It worked both ways, he felt more at ease after a while. They spent a few minutes like this, silently soothing each other, until Corporal Jenko entered the quarters.

"Sir, I didn't know you'd be here!" the girl said; she stood firm and saluted. "Good evening, sir."

Corporal Amira Jenko was quite young, probably a recent graduate. Small framed but tall, short blond hair standard issue, sparkling black eyes. She was a very calm and capable person, that's why she was in charge of the K-9.

"Good evening, Corporal. At ease." John responded.

"Is something wrong, Chief?"

"I've been away for a while, I just wanted to check on her."

"Oh; yes, sir." the Corporal nodded, enthusiastically. "She noticed your absence. She's been sad and not much cooperative lately. We just let her rest, she deserves the leave after all."

He looked back at the dog. The animal raised her brows to look at him.

"Is that so? Cadet, I didn't train you for this." John scolded.

Charley whined loud again but then yowled something, like she was complaining. Jenko laughed softly and clasped her hands behind her back, amused. Later, she grabbed the dog's chain from Charley's gear-locker and attached it to the animal's tactical collar. It was time to close the quarters; all dogs were already exercised and fed, ready for a good night's rest. John stood there and made sure that his canine companion was safely tucked in before he left for the mess hall, along with the chatty Corporal.

He should keep himself occupied for the rest of the night, it would be easier that way. He wouldn't sleep, anyway.

But first, John felt like sharing a quiet meal with a friend.

 

**JULY 29TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:39 PM standard time**

 

Cortana didn't feel like having dinner. In fact, she didn't feel like getting out of her quarters at all. She just had a quick bath and wrapped her naked self in blankets; laying curled up in bed like that was somehow soothing her fears.

She was afraid. She'd been afraid before, yes, but it could be said that she really _understood_ fear after she met John; she could actually _feel it_. And she wasn't just afraid regarding John, she was afraid because of seventeen thousand people aboard the UNSC _Infinity_. She was afraid because through John's microphone she heard what that insane split of herself said, back in the Ark.

 _She would kill them all to destroy the Chief_.

And knowing herself, Cortana knew that the Rampant would succeed or perish trying to. She was smart enough and she was angry enough.

"There must to be something I can do." Cortana whispered, against the blanket covering her lips. "She won't hurt anyone. I won't let her."

She shrugged inside her cocoon of blankets and hid her face in the pillow.

Few minutes passed in silence, maybe she fell asleep hearing the quiet noises of the ventilation systems or maybe she was that tired; but she shot her eyes open when loud knocks erupted from her quarter's entrance. Cortana stormed off the bed instantly and got up, picking up clothes from the nearest chair. She put on a large short-sleeved UNSC shirt and hurried to the hatch-door, but at the latest second...

That obnoxious knocking, again.

She approached the entrance, hesitant.

"Identify yourself." Cortana demanded, clearing her throat.

"It's me. You didn't make it to the mess hall." John's voice said, calmly. "What's wrong?"

Cortana closed her eyes, something awful slid down her stomach. A part of her wanted to tell him, but it was easier to avoid the question. Instinctively, she pulled down the shirt over her bare legs.

"I'm not hungry." she said, imitating his tone.

"Fine. Mind if I come in?"

"... I'm naked, just took a shower."

He paused for a short moment. She wasn't fooling him, that for sure. "We already established that I don't mind that. I'll take in the next shift, you know where to find me if you need me."

Cortana leaned her back against the door sealed shut, thinking it over.

She really didn't want him to leave, but...

"Good to know." her voice trembled. "Thanks, Chief. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

 _She wouldn't let that rampant reject hurt John, she swore to herself_.

**JULY 29TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**11:45 PM standard time**

 

Sarah wasn't expecting to see him there when she walked into the gym.

Honestly, she never thought she'd see Thomas Lasky furiously punching a sand-bag with his hands wrapped in bandages, but there he was, alone. His breath was heavy, he'd been doing that for a long while; and he was also sweating a lot, that short-sleeved white shirt was as damp as if it just rained over him. Sarah left her training bag on the floor and just leaned in the nearest column, enjoying the show.

He had a nice technique, probably would be a respectable contender.

Well, yes; curiosity just kicked in.

Captain Lasky finally caught her staring. He ended it right there, took a step back and brushed off the sweat from his face with his forearm. No salutes this time, both of them were off duty by that late hour.

"I didn't know you boxed." said Sarah, arching an eyebrow.

"There's a lot about me you don't know, Commander."

"So it seems." she mumbled, and she couldn't say which one of Tom's little secrets she liked the most. "Feel like sharing some of those punches with me?"

Tom snorted, it was a frank yet weary laugh. "With a SPARTAN? I know I'm not that handsome, but I like my face the way it is, thank you."

"I didn't know you were such a chicken, either."

She grabbed a pair of practice cushions instead of the boxing gloves, and jumped inside the ring with the elegance of a gazelle. More like a deadly lioness disguised as a gazelle, Tom thought. Her training gear was merely a black sleeveless shirt, body-tight, and black sweat shorts.

"You promise you won't hurt me?" he teased.

"Bite me, Captain. Now get your ass to the ring or hit the showers."

She held resolutely the cushions in front of her chest and wiggled her eyebrows up and down, smiling. The smile was quite inviting, that for sure. He made up his mind and complied in the end, claiming up between the ropes. They circled each other for a while, slowly walking, scheming. Sarah was about to say something wry when Tom reacted lightning-fast and threw the first punch at her; the power of the impact was almost surprising.

The Commander grinned in amusement, the Captain didn't.

His concentration unexpectedly captivated her.

He was capable of fast and powerful short-ranged blows, also had a magnificent uppercut, she noticed. She laughed softly as the punches landed one after another in the cushions, then Tom mixed his moves with some fast 'dancing': he balanced his weight switching his gravity center to make the blows even more powerful. Things got a little sweaty again after ten minutes.

And as time flew by, things got a bit more violent too.

He tried to attack from below. She jumped to protect herself.

Sarah moved the cushion just in time and caught his fist before he could hit her close to the liver, they 'danced' around each other quickly. It wasn't amusing anymore, her senses detected the threat and her whole body prepared for a fight. She seriously had no intentions of hurting him, but she knew damn well that it could happen if her control snapped. _He better keep his hands off her_. After few minutes of gracefully avoiding his fists, the Commander noticed what was off: Tom's labored breath and the fury of his movements gave much away. She got rid of the cushions and just stopped his fists with her bare hands, one after another and after another, not flinching even once. The blows were powered by rage, frustration, anxiety.

In the final moment, she clasped her larger fingers over the Captain's fists, in an iron grip. He tried to sneak off but she turned Tom around and seized him tightly, his back against her chest, until he stopped resisting and just stood still, breathing heavily, sweat dripping off his chin. Fighting against a SPARTAN's strength was pointless.

"Enough for today, Tom. You look dehydrated."

"Fine." he nodded, his voice was almost a whisper. "Didn't you come all the way here to train?"

"Just to blow off some steam, it's over now. Let's sit for a moment."

She spread her arms to let him go and they split, stepping away from each other.

Their eyes met, two different shades of brown on fire. Sarah pursed her lips.

The Commander leaped out the ring and fished a recipient of cold water from her training bag, as Tom peeled off the bandages from his shaky hands. He emptied almost half the bottle in no time when she handed it to him.

Finally, Tom fell on his back, the canvas mat felt comfortable. He closed his eyes.

She approached, drank some water and sat down beside his head. Sarah leaned back a little, resting her weight on her elbows for a moment, and looked at her Captain with a mixture of pride and worry in her sweaty features. Not knowing what was wrong with him was killing her, somehow.

But they could spend a few minutes like that, oblivious and relaxed.

Or was it too much to ask?

"She's coming." Tom whispered, exhausted. "She wants me to figure this out for myself, but she assured me that she would be watching. I'll probably get the briefing tomorrow, but one way or another Admiral Osman is coming to the _Infinity_. The ship will overflow with ONI agents in no time."

Sarah wished she could curse off the worst of her sailor tongue, but... it felt wrong to do it in front of Tom. He never cursed. He barely ever raised his voice to anyone.

She gave him the bottle again.

"All she wants is Halsey." the Commander stated. "If we give her Halsey, she will back down."

She wanted to shove a gun's barrel in Halsey's face too, but she kept it to herself.

"Quoting the Arbiter... _'were it so easy'_." he said, shaking his head. "The results of this campaign will define the future of all of those involved. I don't want you or your men to get court-martialed because of me. No, I can't ask you for that, Sarah."

"You are not asking for anything." she said, and stretched her arms over her head, nonchalantly. "If the time comes and it is required, I'm conducting _my own operation_. You are invited to join if you really mean what you say."

"What?" he opened his eyes and blinked a few times, confused.

"We're all fucked anyway, the way I see it." she shrugged, hugging her knees with both arms. "Who knows? If we stick around the Master Chief long enough, we may get some of his luck passed on."

"He won't agree with this."

"We'll figure that out later. The important thing is... are you with me, Tom?"

Tom turned his head to look at her, serious. Did she really had to ask? Sarah was already doing too much to back him up, the Captain wasn't sure about how to repay her loyalty. They could have bad times, that's true, but she was an impeccable soldier and he respected her highly because of that. Well, he respected her for much more than just being a soldier, but it wasn't relevant at the time.

He nodded, just once.

Sarah smiled gently, her features softened a little. She patted his shoulder.

What else could they do, but rely on each other?

"I need some serious sleep." Tom sighed, and got up stretching his back.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

I'm with the Chief on this, what is all the fuss about being naked, anyway? xD The Arbiter needs to introduce him into this "mates" thing a bit more, I guess, there's only so much Cortana can explain without blushing to death xD I'm a total sucker for Palmer and Lasky although things didn't end well in Spartan Ops, but we'll see where this goes. Soon the _Infinity_ will be a little crowded.

Don't forget about the beta thing if you'd like to try me out!

**See you next Sunday! And don't forget to follow or leave your comments!**


	9. Served Cold

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

People, I want to announce that now, thanks to the watchful eyes of master _Trance Sephiroth_... this story will be well written! Yay! This means no more misspellings and grammar errors, for as long as he's willing to support this little project. I can't really describe how much I thank his expertise in this area, and I didn't knew how ignorant I was about so many things :P Enjoy this perfectly spelled episode!

_Also, I edited the music mix at 8tracks, added more songs and improved others; you'll find the link in my profile if you want to check out some good inspirational beats!_

**8\. SERVED COLD**

 

**AUGUST 1ST, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**07:30 AM standard time**

She wouldn't come all by herself, obviously. Admiral Osman brought along three platoons of her people amongst other specialized personnel. The total population of the UNSC _Infinity_ increased by three figures in less than twenty minutes; Roland already had all of them accounted for by CSV, face, voice and fingerprint recognition.

The meeting was held in an isolated room above the bridge. Although the Arbiter and his warriors were still aboard, he wasn't allowed to attend since it was a human matter only concerning those involved with the case. That meant both Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer, Dr. Henry Glassman and some of his technicians, all three fireteams (Majestic, Crimson and Bravo) and, of course, the Master Chief and Cortana. Osman's guard was a party of five highly trained agents armored in black, all of them armed and ready. It was pretty much _crowded_ in there.

John already decided how he would disable the guards, if it was required.

The Admiral strolled around the table, her arms crossed.

"I must say, you managed to get yourselves into quite a mess."

She wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but the hint of despise in her voice was absolutely clear.

"We are determined to solve it, ma'am." Lasky said, quickly.

"But you reported it to me, Captain."

"Because it was mandatory, at that point. We are in a state of emergency, the message must be spread across the galaxy to all UNSC stations and ships; something I can't do without official support."

"What makes you think you have _my support_?"

"I think your presence here, today, has something to do with it, ma'am."

The tall woman turned to face the Captain, her arms still crossed. The expression on her face was deadly serious.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Captain Lasky. You don't have my support, you only have my permission to take proper care of this business. _You'd have my support if you hadn't hidden this from me_. I'll tell you how things will be from now on." the Admiral growled, "You will not scratch your nose again without telling me about it. And if you dare to do it without telling me, don't worry, someone else will report it. The difference is, if you do the reports yourself, you will keep your captainship and everybody else, their positions. Remember, there may be new faces aboard, but the known faces are not the ones you should be worried about. Do I make myself clear?"

Lasky swallowed his breath. The sole idea of the head of ONI not knowing about something was the epitome of success, but at the time it meant only more trouble. Not just for him, unfortunately.

"Yes, ma'am." he responded, compliantly.

"Fine. I concur with your obligation to spread the word. It's already taken care of. However, this mission has many branches and you won't be handling all of them alone, in the meantime all personnel involved will be properly debriefed on my account. Any questions?"

The Admiral's sharp eyes searched the room until someone took a step forward.

"What is your official position regarding Cortana?" Palmer asked, flatly.

"As you know, my technicians are setting up their gear at your medical bay, they will provide a detailed examination of... _the subject_. She will be released after the tests and then I'll make my statement. It is implied that any resistance would only hurt the outcome."

The Admiral looked at Cortana, her poker-face not to be taken lightly.

John subtly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, vigilant. That didn't seem good. It sounded _invasive_ , somehow he knew there would be pain involved and he knew this Cortana was susceptible to pain. He gave her a sidelong glance; the girl was standing by his side and she wasn't delighted with the situation either. Cortana's face was paler than usual and her lips compressed in a thin line.

"You won't imprison her." Lasky deduced, cautiously.

"I'm not Del Rio." Osman confirmed, to everyone's eats it sounded like she said she wasn't _as stupid_ as Del Rio. The Admiral turned to John. "That woman is a very valuable asset, she can be a lot more useful in the field rather than isolated in a cell. She'll keep her privileges as long as the Master Chief here can speak for her. We don't want her following the footsteps of her creator, do we?"

"Aye-aye, ma'am." John responded, instantly.

Cortana bit her trembling lower lip, furious.

There was a very good reason why she never liked Serin Osman, and there it was: Osman resented Dr. Halsey, therefore she wouldn't have peace of mind as long as the Admiral lurked around.

"Excellent. The _Vociferous_ will continue with the pursuit of Dr. Catherine Halsey, the _Infinity_ and its fleet have a new mission objective. _Search and destroy_. The target is this Rampant Spike and whatever other copies of her might be out there, posing a threat to the UNSC. You started it, you finish it."

It wasn't like that, but who would argue with her?

Lasky and Palmer saluted, in unison. Everyone else imitated them.

"Thank you for your aid, ma'am." said the Captain, not relieved at all.

"All right, dismissed. Not you, Thomas. I'll debrief you myself, now."

 

**AUGUST 1ST, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**06:50 PM standard time**

 

Cortana left the medical bay trembling, but she wasn't cold.

She'd been punctured, measured, weighed, probed, exposed and even scared. The technicians extracted her blood, collected skin, hair and fluid samples of all kinds, from every imaginable source. They observed her, they placed her in an MRI machine for hours and performed insignificant chemical tests on her. She knew the importance of all the procedures she was submitted to, but she was utterly certain that nobody would ever be the same after such torment.

She could still feel the cold gloved fingers touching her _everywhere_ , both with solid purpose and without it. It wasn't just standard procedure, she realized. She was the first Smart AI ever to be transfigured into a human being, but beyond the technicians' curiosity and prudence there was something else. They did it to shock her. It was deliberate psychological torture.

_We will gut you like a fish if you're not compliant. And we can say we are doing it in the name of science, after all, you are still military property._

Her whole body was shaking, but she wasn't about to cry.

On the contrary, she felt... violated and angry, _so angry_.

The Gravemind attempted to digest her mind and almost succeeded, the memory was still fresh and it was somewhat painful, but these people went far beyond that. Her human body was an entirely different matter; it had tangible, moral limits that worked differently from an AI's processing core. It felt like an invasion in every sense of the word.

When she turned quickly around the corner, she carelessly bumped into him. 

More like she bumped into his breastplate. It wasn't nice, her nose hurt.

"Cortana?"

"Chief!" she took two steps back. "Why are you here?"

"I was on my way to pick you up. You're under my custody now." John answered.

"Of course."

Another annoying part of being human was the inability to know everything that was going on around her. Seeing John calmed her, but when Cortana quickly studied his body language, she realized that he was restless too. That only added more weight to her worries. They haven't talked much since three days ago, when she denied him entrance to her quarters, the same night the Chief started taking double shifts. Not that he had ever been inside her quarters before, it was different. It didn't have anything to do with that embarrassing episode after her first cryo-sleep either.

She was afraid. John knew that, but he wasn’t sure of how to help her.

"Come with me. I'll take you to the labs." he said.

"Can we go somewhere else?"

"What do you mean?"

"I need... a moment. With you, alone. Please?"

The Chief just stared at her, an intimidating seven-foot tall mountain of hyper-light alloys and man. Every second was more awkward than the previous. She was about to take back what she just said when he unexpectedly pointed with his thumb towards the south of the ship.

"Have you ever seen the engines? Thorne says they're quite a sight."

Cortana frowned. The _Infinity_ 's Forerunner engines? She recalled taking a peek at the blueprints long ago and had a slight impression about unthinkable dimensions, but not much else. _Oh, wait_. Yes. She had an idea.

"Now that you mention it, no, I've never seen them." Cortana said, nonchalantly.

"Off we go, then."

It took them almost half an hour to travel the distance to the back of the enormous flagship and reach the area. They crossed paths with several of Osman's agents in the way, Sigrid identified all of them by face and rank, displaying summaries of their CSV's in John's HUD. The AI survived her shutdown at Dr. Halsey's hideout, he wasn't sure about what happened but when they boarded the _Shadow of Intent_ to return into UNSC controlled space, she was working again. Sigrid also seemed to have no record of those days of inactivity. He wasn't going to ask, anyway.

The 'trip' itself was particularly quiet, since both seemed interested in keeping the silence as it was.

When the Chief and Cortana finally reached the destination, Roland granted them access to the gigantic room, but warned them about the surveillance. New policies had been established since Osman’s arrival that morning.

"Too bad. I was just thinking about stealing one of those big wrenches, you know, for my collection." she snorted, while they were on the elevator. A very dim blue shine poured through the blast doors as they slid open, revealing the observation deck and the massive machinery humming in the background. She let out a surprised whistle. "This is bigger than I thought! Come on, let's take a closer look."

He followed, quietly. Cortana leaned on her elbows over the guardrail, balancing the upper half of her body pretty much on the edge of the observation deck. She wanted to look down. The humming noise was much louder there, but John managed to hear her amazed laugh; it was somehow comforting to see her smile again. The Chief reached the safety locks of his helmet and removed the whole piece, took in a deep breath. The air had a strange scent back there, almost like the electricity was alive.

Then, he leaned in like she did and they stood like that for a moment, peacefully watching the enormous engines run.

"You shouldn't waste your time babysitting me." Cortana said, calmly.

"Babysitting you is my current assignment."

"You were downgraded and nobody told me?"

She drew a wider, warmer smile, looking back at him. She wasn't upset anymore and that was good, but...

"What’s wrong?"

"I just wanted to be alone with you for a while, Chief."

 _Bullshit_.

"What did they do to you?" he insisted, trying a different approach.

A shiver ran down her spine. She stood still for a moment, her eyes flared with a hint of indignation and hurt pride. Cortana turned her gaze away to study the engines again, and refused to say a word.

 _Bingo_. He felt something boil inside.

"Cortana..."

"Tests, standard procedures." she answered, flatly.

"Cortana." John growled. It was his _'don't fuck with me'_ tone. "What did they do to you? You were pale as a ghost when we ran into each other a moment ago."

"Well, part of it was standard procedure. I'm not sure about the rest."

"Tell me everything. _Now_."

She hesitated again, troubled.

But then, Cortana placed her hand over the cold piece of his gauntlet and leaned closer to him, looking for refuge. And she told him most of it. She told him as carefully as she could about the most uncomfortable parts, about the dubious procedures and the irrelevant tests. She shared the anger with John. The impotency and the humiliation she felt, she was poked and observed like a circus freak and it was awful. With every word she gave away, Cortana felt the shame wash out a little more; but now she was upsetting him and she didn't want that.

She felt weaker than ever, helpless. But she could use this in her favor, someday; after all, revenge tasted better when served cold.

And she was, in a certain way, a _daughter_ of her _mother_.

When John released the guardrail, the metal was left dented by the strength of his grip.

"You have to report this to Lasky." he started.

"No." she said, with strong resolve.

“Then _I_ will.”

"No, because that's what _she_ wants. We are her closest links to Dr. Halsey aboard this ship. _Osman thinks she can manipulate us_. I knew it was too good to be true. That woman wants me locked away on Earth, dissected like a fucking frog. What happened today makes it very clear."

Her words were cold, yet they did not ease John’s mind. Not even a little. 

"And I thought Palmer had a grudge on us."

"Palmer is the Easter Bunny compared with Osman; she's still on our side, Chief." Cortana took in a deep breath. "I want to take a nice shower and forget about this. Just play it with me this time, I know what I'm doing."

"It isn't over, you know that." he pointed out, serious.

"I'm counting on it."

"Cortana..."

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the subject.

"It's okay, Chief. I was made for war and she caught me off guard this time. But I survived the Gravemind and its tricks, Serin Osman won't take me down. I promise."

"Careful. Now she has eyes and ears everywhere."

"I don't think so. These engines' energy fields and noises create almost the perfect distortion, the audio and video feeds of your armor will be scrambled with static. That's why the engine room is sealed. This is actually the safest place to talk right now."

He frowned again and somewhat snorted, when he realized.

"Smart move."

"You gave me the idea. But they'll find out very soon, so don't get cocky."

She gave him a small punch in the shoulderplate and smiled, pretending he just said something funny. John didn't know exactly how to play that along, but smiled back and tried to keep up.

"We must be cautious from now on, Chief." Cortana said, later. "Something's up. Don't say anything that can be used against you, even if it's the truth. ONI may still be part of the UNSC but they are _not our people_."

Another pretending game.

Well, he was good at poker; he could learn how to be good at this too.

"I won't let her hurt you again, Cortana."

"Who's the shield now?" she whispered, softly. "Come on, soldier. Escort me to my quarters, maybe I'll let you in this time."

 

**AUGUST 1ST to AUGUST 5TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

 

For the next few days, the _Infinity_ was like an enraged ant colony, boiling up with activity. It was made public to the crew that Admiral Osman and her people would be stationed with them for some time, conducting an official investigation, but no further details were disclosed. The confidentiality made things more complicated, in a certain way; humans tended to be paranoid.

That acted both as a distraction and an opportunity, according to Cortana.

Although the Admiral clearly said that she would clarify her stance regarding Cortana's case after her supposed tests, she didn't. Maybe she wasn't pleased with the results, or maybe she was expecting something else to happen. Either way, Cortana felt like she'd won that little battle.

The Arbiter chose to accompany the UNSC fleet, but he was eager for a solution to his current problem. He collected intel from all his most trusted sources across the galaxy, yet nobody seemed to have seen or heard anything about the Rampant Spike’s current location or activities.

It was like she vanished into thin air. More bad news.

As a (well received) gesture of good will and interest, Captain Lasky invited the Arbiter to be a part of the strategic council. There wasn't much to do until they could get a hint on the Spike's whereabouts, but proper plans were being made. Admiral Osman oversaw the process and approved the solution. The Master Chief would be both bait and executioner, that part was his own idea.

Maybe an ambush wasn't the best plan he could come up with, but they were running out of options.

With a little aid from Roland -off the record-, Cortana worked on the coordinates she kept safely on that piece of paper. It was the only piece of information that wasn't revealed to ONI, and she was convinced that those numbers were important. Tracing the destination was proving to be far more difficult than expected, since it was uncharted space and it could be millions of light years away from them.

She was positive those were the coordinates of the Fortress' exact location.

It was August 3rd when more bad news reached them. FLEETCOM informed them that several cities on a secured planet in the inner colonies were burnt to the ground by the malfunctioning of their own orbital defense systems. The official report stated that the super MAC guns' circuitry got fried by solar bursts and the cannons fired themselves on the civilian population.

Osman's private report, however, said something different: the orbital defense grid _was hacked_ and activated by an unidentified terrorist. The MAC guns not only fired at the planetary surface, they also destroyed the orbiting defense fleet and fired at the lifeboats that were trying to escape the burning hell. Then, they fired at each other until nothing was left but smoking debris.

Three point seven million lives were vaporized, just like that. _It was a low blow_.

Cortana felt horribly sick after hearing the news, she felt guiltier than ever. The attack only reinforced John’s eagerness for another close encounter with that murderous bitch, he was certain that she was behind it and he’d make her pay for it. Killing her wouldn’t be enough; he wished he could _erase_ the Rampant Spike forever, he didn’t want to think of her related to Cortana in any possible way.

She said she would strike down the UNSC, that she would kill him, _not innocent civilians_. John had tried all along not to think of the whole matter as something personal but he failed; it had been personal from the very beginning. Attacking the very people he swore to protect made it even worse.

Lasky resolved to aid the survivors, since they were closer to the system than any other fleet at the moment. It was both a merciful call and an opportunity to locate the Spike, if they could track her somehow. It was a known fact that the best way to hack the orbital MACs was to raid the primary space station that controlled them all. There was a small chance that the station's black box record was safely adrift in orbit, waiting to be found.

By August 5th, the _Infinity_ exited slip-space nearby the aforementioned planet and found a terrifying picture: a gigantic black spot in the main landmass, at the same place where two big cities used to be. It was a nightmarish sight. The fleet caught several lifeboats that made it safely out of the colony and rescued the survivors. They were only five hundred and something.

Time passed and the black box record wasn't found, neither the Rampant Spike.

She had vanished again.

 

**AUGUST 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**03:13 PM standard time**

 

Roland was scanning the floating debris around the planet in search of any remaining lifeboats. The _Infinity_ had recovered at least twelve (half of them full of dead bodies) in the last eighteen hours; mostly small carriers with charred hulls, touched by the deathly kiss of the sabotaged MACs.

A moment later, a signal appeared amongst several pieces of drifting wreckage.

Captain Lasky raised his head to see, the alarm called out his attention.

"A Pelican, sir. The serial number doesn't match any of ours." informed Roland.

"Another lifeboat?"

"I think so." said the AI, and turned around to face the Captain.

"Fine. Hack their navs and drag them over here."

"Sir, we're one hundred and forty seven passengers away from a life-threatening accommodation problem, I know the _Infinity_ is big but she's not ever-expanding like the Universe."

"Supplies are in check. It's our responsibility to rescue any survivors, Roland."

"Never said otherwise, sir. Just a little reminder."

"Pull them in."

"I've got radio contact. Opening the comm channel now."

The crackle of static filled the air, there was the faint sound of a male voice in the background. Roland tried to clean the frequency and kept trying until the cyclic message became discernible. It was a man's voice, yet it seemed calm, restraint. It wasn't like the usual distress signals they've been picking up:

 _"... do you copy? I repeat:_ Infinity _, do you copy?"_

"UNSC _Infinity_ here, we copy. Come in."

_"Who is this?"_

The Captain cocked an eyebrow, Roland's little amber figure imitated him. They looked at each other.

"This is Captain Thomas Lasky. Do you have any survivors aboard?"

_"Negative, Captain; it’s… complicated. Permission to approach."_

"Absolutely denied. Identify yourself."

A short moment of hesitation. Then: _"I can't prove my identity right now."_

Lasky leaned in over his elbows, on the edge of the holo-table.

"Target locked, sir. On your mark." said Roland.

The Captain made a halt gesture with his hand. "Who the hell are you? And watch it, I have a full battery of Archer missiles ready to fire."

_"Then again, sir: if I tell you, you won't believe it. I request sanctuary."_

"No ammunition or explosives detected." Roland informed. "The engines seem to be ruined, they won't hold for much longer. Even if it tries to crash into us, it would be like a mosquito in our windshield. That Pelican is harmless, sir."

"He's either crazy or he's got some balls." Lasky mumbled, then he talked to the comm channel again: "Okay, let's do this one more time and if you fail to comply, you'll leave me no choice. Who are you?"

Silence, only soft background static for a moment.

Then, the air crackled again: _"I have an idea. Get me SPARTAN Sierra-117."_

"Repeat that, Unknown Pelican, I think I heard you demand something from me."

_"Captain Lasky, sir, I have two very delicate packages aboard that need care. I'm wounded and this piece of crap will explode in any second now. This is not exactly a walk in the park. Please, if someone can confirm, it's him."_

"Roland, are you reading life signals?"

The AI nodded: "Yes, sir, I'm picking up three of them. Actually, one is a child."

"Why didn't you say that first? Get me the Master Chief. _Now_."

"Betting on your hunches again, sir?"

"Just do it, dammit."

 

**AUGUST 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**03:28 PM standard time**

 

Fifteen minutes later, John entered the bridge and saw the confused faces.

He'd been quickly briefed about the situation on his way in and had a slight theory about what it could be, but he wasn't absolutely sure. The images displayed across the strategic command aisle showed the shape of something that could be identified as a dropship out in space, directly in front of the _Infinity_. Its windshields were darkened by several explosive impacts that also left deep dents in the hull. It was impossible to peek inside to see the pilot.

Captain Lasky pointed towards the Pelican with his open hand.

"All yours, Chief."

John nodded and Sigrid proceeded to link him up with the proper channel.

"This is Sierra-117, come in." he snarled, alert.

_"Chief? Good, I don't know how much longer this thing will hold."_

"That's your problem. Give me _one reason_ why I shouldn't let the Captain blow you to pieces right now."

 _"I could give you forty thousand reasons, Chief."_ John's heart skipped a beat. He heard those words before. _"But I'll just say that I know what Subject Seven's next target is. And I can help you take her down. I request permission to board the_ Infinity, _sir."_

There was a moment of tense silence.

"Chief?" asked Lasky, impatient.

"Let him in." John said, calmly. "If he tries anything funny, I'll just shoot him."

 

**AUGUST 7TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**03:42 PM standard time**

 

The Chief readied his rifle, so did the other three escorting fireteams.

The battered Pelican made it safely inside the empty hangar and hovered around until it landed on the gratings, then the cargo compartment door dropped open. The engines hummed for a few more seconds before they abruptly shut down with a puff of smoke and ugly sparks, clearly damaged.

The SPARTANS rushed to the back of the dropship and held positions again.

John was the only one standing on his feet, ready to fire at whatever could come out.

A man armored in shining black and furious red strode down the Pelican's lift, he was quite tall and well built although seemed to be on his late twenties. Fair skinned, his jet-black hair was shoulder-length and messy, and his eyes, a shade of electric blue. He wasn't alone, for he was holding hands with two others: one was a little girl, maybe two or three years old, same black hair and enormous blue eyes. She looked like the man's daughter, the resemblance was uncanny. However, the other was a woman about his same age, she seemed a bit lost, absent. Her dark hair was mid-chest long, curly bangs hanging over her face. She walked clumsily, guided by his hand. The female's clothes were gray, plain.

Actually, they all kind of looked like brother and sisters.

John's armored finger caressed the trigger, coldly.

"Hello, Chief." the man said. "Seems like all roads lead to you these days."

The smile he drew for John also proved something else: they weren't just siblings. They were _Cortana's_ siblings.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

All right, I admit it, I've been thinking a lot about this idea of a male Cortana, and here it is, finally. Thank God this is not official licensed material, because you'd all kill me. Please, don't kill me! >< But fear not, this guy is the kick for a lot of shit, don't give up just yet. I promise you there's good stuff to come, more action-packed too.

**UPDATES NEXT SUNDAY! I say this every time, but please be kind and leave your comments! It's awesome to read from you :)**


	10. Subject Eleven

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

_OMFG PEOPLE! Did you see the cover art for H5 already? I'm literally dying a little every day from here to October, I'm sooooooo freakin' head over heels with this! Fear not, I already pre-ordered my copy of the artbook, it's the only piece of merchandising I'm interested in since I don't play the games xD anyway, fangirling aside, enjoy today's episode... it's a good one -evil smirk-_

_Don't forget to check my profile to find a nice music mix for this story, loaded up at 8tracks! ^^_

**9\. SUBJECT ELEVEN**

 

**AUGUST 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**06:06 PM standard time**

"State your name for the record, please."

"Subject Eleven. Or CTN 0452-9 if it pleases you."

" _Subject Eleven_ , then. Who are you?"

"I am _me_. But I am also _her_. I am a tactical fraction of the Smart AI once known as Cortana; her combat core, to be precise."

"Care to elaborate a little?"

"The conglomerate of sub-routines dedicated to solve combat situations, ma'am. The efficiency of a military AI depends on the accuracy of response of its combat core. My accuracy margins were always _off the charts_." he said, with pride.

Commander Palmer stared at the man, just blinking blankly for a moment.

He was kind of distracting, to be honest. His electric blue eyes were staring at her under a shade of dark, messy hair, like a sharp predator. His height could easily match any of her SPARTANS yet he wasn’t as built as them, his physique was leaner, lighter; his forte wasn’t brute strength. The man was also keeping an eye in his surroundings, calculating everything.

She still couldn't believe it. She almost laughed when Roland called her out of the living quarter decks, where she was conducting the survivor’s accommodations, to give her the news: on a stranded Pelican the _Infinity_ picked up another three human copies of Cortana. One of them was male, the second was a child and the third was a female with odd manners. None of the girls said a word; the younger because she seemed still too little to make conversation, and the older one because she had brain damage, according to the medical report. Both had Forerunner glyphs en her left wrists, the little girl had the number twelve and the other, the number two.

His number was eleven, obviously, which made absolute sense.

Now, the Chief’s report wasn’t as irrational as it sounded a few days ago.

"All right, moving on... who are the other two you brought along?" asked Palmer.

The man looked at the handcuffs around his wrists, then at the biofoam canister within his reach. His shoulder wound was sealed, it wasn’t bleeding anymore but it sure hurt like hell.

She recalled the moments before entering with him to the interrogation room. He willingly stripped off his strange armor -more like the thing peeled off by itself, without any help- and allowed to be seized by two fireteams at the same time. That black and red full-body undersuit was maybe his only set of clothes, he was also barefoot at the time. The Commander confiscated a sealed backpack; it was delivered to Dr. Glassman along with the crate which contained the strange melting armor.

"Hey, I asked you a question. Focus. Who are the girls?"

"I want guarantees, first." he snarled, showing his teeth like an animal.

"You can have them if your story makes sense."

"My story makes all the sense in the world, Commander Palmer. You, in the other hand, are under ONI surveillance and it is not in your power to make any promises, so I want someone high brass enough to guarantee my safety and my sibling's before I tell you shit."

The man leaned back against the chair, crossing his powerful arms over his chest as far as the handcuffs allowed. A wry smile danced in his lips, he knew he was entitled to his demands. However, that much confidence could still play against him...

Palmer looked up, at the camera, and raised her hands.

 _"Admiral Osman is going in."_ the Captain said, through the speakers.

"Not exactly the person I had in mind." the man snorted, cocking an eyebrow.

"Why is it? Because you only trust the Master Chief?"

"Ma’am, we were partners for virtually five years*. Are you taking proper care of my sisters?"

"Focus on me, Subject Eleven."

"I am focused _on you_ , Commander. I've been thinking for the past ten minutes in about twenty different ways of how to break these handcuffs and disable a SPARTAN without actually hurting her at all. Wait... yes, there goes twenty one."

"Are you threatening me?" Sarah balled her fists over the table.

"Absolutely not, ma'am. I just can't help it, it's what I was programmed for."

He gave her a somewhat sheepish look. Palmer sighed and slowly shook her head.

"Your sisters are fine.” she promised. “The doctors are with them now."

"Thank you."

The door slid open and the tall, severe figure of Serin Osman entered the room. The man looked at her, unimpressed, but then he narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like that woman. Despite the idea, he stood up and even in handcuffs, he saluted as respectfully as any other Marine would.

Osman didn't salute back. "Sit." she said, pointing at the chair again with a gesture of her head. He obeyed, sharply. "So, what is all the fuss about? What do you want, exactly?" the Admiral asked.

"Safe haven for my sisters and me, that's all."

"You claim that you know where the Rampant Spike will strike next."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Why should I believe you? For all I know, you could be another corrupted piece of programming embedded in a human body, just like your other sister. I should have you knocked down with sedatives and shipped back to Earth in a sealed cryo-pod. You cannot expect me to bargain with you if you do not prove your worth."

He considered the Admiral's words for a moment, silent.

The man sighed, defeated. "She plans to hack the navs of an _Infinity_ -class warship and crash it straight into FLEETCOM's grounds, ma'am."

The room fell under silence again. Palmer felt the blood rush away from her face, cold ran down her spine. It was maybe the craziest thing she ever heard. Osman, in the other hand, just twitched an eyebrow.

"There's only one _Infinity_ -class warship, and it's the one we're canned in." said the Admiral, emotionless.

"Exactly." the man replied.

"And you want safe haven _in the same ship she wants to steal_?"

"I can help you defend it."

Serin Osman leaned in towards the young man, her face a harsh mask of menace. He didn't back away from the woman, just looked at her right in the eye, keeping his cuffed hands over his lap.

"When is it going down?"

"I don't know." he swore. "But I'm ninety-eight percent sure she will do it."

"How did you acquire this information?"

"It's impossible to hack this ship." Palmer said, shocked. "Roland protects it."

"You know that's not true." he refuted, talking to Sarah. "Every AI has an override code, even we had one. Now that code is useless and nothing can stop Subject Seven, except for a nicely placed bullet between the eyes."

"How do you know all of this?" Osman snapped, and she struck her hand against the metallic table, making it shudder. "If you are not working _for her_ , then how is it that you know what she is planning?"

"Like I said, I was built as a combat core. If I needed a last-resort firing solution for my nonsensical retaliation crusade, to steal the biggest warship I can find and crash it above UNSC headquarters is what I would do. That is, if I were to make a serious statement." he explained, his face solemn as a gravestone. "I can predict her movements with very narrow error margins."

Palmer cleared her throat: "That's the reason of your presence in this planet."

"Yes, ma'am. I tracked her down, I predicted she would use the planetary orbital defenses for her purposes, since it was easy to hack for an entity of her skill. But I failed to see that she would use the weapons grid against civilian population. It seems like her rampancy is escalating."

Admiral Osman straightened her pose and crossed her arms again. Now there was a hint of worry in her face, she looked at Commander Palmer and then at the hovering camera. There wasn't much else to say.

"You don't have a plan, then." the woman guessed.

He raised his head, hopeful. But he had to be honest, anyway: "No, ma'am. I'm not a strategist. But I'm not stupid either, I do know this is not a mission for a single soldier. If she finds us separated, she’ll destroy us. _It needs teamwork_. And we need the Master Chief’s expertise in this area."

"What 'area' is this, exactly?"

"Well... _Cortana_ , of course."

**AUGUST 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**6:18 PM standard time**

 

Cortana hurried into the observation room, while the interrogation of her so-called "sibling" was still in process at the other side of the mirrored glass. The ship's Captain and the Chief were standing there, in the shadows, both very quiet. Lasky seemed to be sweating a bit.

John, well... whatever he was thinking, it wasn't nice. His face was severe.

When the Captain saw her come into the room, he immediately shook his head in denial and strode towards her: "I'm sorry, Cortana, but you can't be here."

"Please. I need to see it." she said, softly. "I need to know."

She approached the mirrored glass, hugging herself; Lasky dropped his hands and stood beside her. Commander Palmer ordered her second Lieutenant to get some clothes for the man and someone else to get him off the handcuffs. Admiral Osman just exited the interrogation room, her statement clear: Subject Eleven would be kept in custody until his intentions were demonstrated, somewhat by holding his 'sisters' as UNSC prisoners. Medical testing procedures were implied as well.

Cortana flinched slightly when she saw the weary expression on the young man's face. She saw hurt, pain, but it wasn't of physical nature.

"He cares for them." she mumbled. "I want to talk to him, Captain."

"I don't think Admiral Osman will allow you to." Lasky sighed, defeated.

She was eager to ask the man why was he a human _male_ , more than anything else, but it was irrelevant. Thanks to Roland, she'd been hearing the interrogation from her private quarters, but she knew deep down that she needed to be there and see for herself. That man said he was someone like her, actually _a part of her_ , a fragmented portion of her once whole digital self. The picture was both frightening and fascinating at the same time.

What if he was a psycho of the likes of the Rampant Spike?

She closed her eyes for a short moment, vanishing that last thought.

"You don't understand, Captain." she said, insistent. "This is beyond anything I've ever experienced before. I _need_ to talk to him. He's a part of... of what I used to be. He's like me. _He's me, don't you see?_ He's been separated from the subjects under his care and it knocks him down... I know he's not an AI anymore, but I see he still works under directives. I can get him to say whatever else he's hiding."

She didn't mention the insane need to be in front of that man and see for herself how much lookalike they both really were, or the adrenaline rush that was making her heart beat faster or her skin crawl with expectation. No, she kept all of that for herself because it was dangerous and it frightened her, in some way.

Lasky frowned, hesitant. He was thinking about it.

"You will have to report it, Cortana. I mean everything." the Captain agreed.

"Sigrid will provide recordings, sir." John said, from the far side of the room. He turned his gaze towards the girl, still serious. " I'm not supposed to let you off my sight, anyway."

 

**AUGUST 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**6:28 PM standard time**

 

Subject Eleven was trying to fasten the fittings of that uncomfortable SPARTAN uniform he wasn't used to wear, when he saw her. His eyes went wide immediately and he forgot about the damned fittings.

"Cortana." he mumbled, shocked.

"I wonder how should I call you, since 'hey, me' is... well, inappropriate, I'd say."

She smiled a bit, carefully.

"I'm glad to see you're safe." he said, then he stared at the tall SPARTAN standing behind her. "Chief, you don’t know how relieved I am to see that at least _one of us_ made it back to you. It makes all the efforts worthy."

 John nodded, silent. He wasn't sure about how to deal with it yet so he just chose to remain alert and quiet. The whole thing was confusing, to say the least.

Cortana, in the other hand, walked in a wide circle around her supposed 'sibling', studying him from head to toe with very interested eyes. She had a thought, once. Since she was an AI, she could look like whatever she wanted, but she always felt more like a woman than like a man. Yet, once, she ran a simulation in which her holographic body was of an adult human male; it was shocking to be so certain that the man standing in front of her was a flesh-made carbon-copy of that simulation.

 _Even the sound of his voice, so smooth, reassuring_.

She shook her head, between amazement and doubt.

"I know what you're thinking." he muttered, with a small smile. "And the answer is _yes_. We share the memories, I had the image on my mind. And I liked it. You can call me Eleven if it makes you feel more safe."

"What do you mean by 'safe'?"

"I won't try to _erase_ you like she did. She wanted your name, but we all knew that the only one who deserved to be called Cortana was _you_."

Cortana gasped and stood still.

The Rampant Spike not only tried to kill her, she tried to steal her whole identity. Cortana looked at John, he was still so serious and silent. She didn't know what to do. She had so many questions for this supposed brother of her, they had so little time to waste. Taking a deep breath, Cortana closed her eyes and tried to force her disorganized human brain to focus; this man wasn't the only one, there were other two she wanted to meet too. But first things first:

"I believe you." she said, in the end.

He seemed to relax, with a loud sigh.

"Great. Because I'm so tired of running away that I just..." he trailed off, weary.

"Why don't we go grab something to eat? What do you say, Chief?"

John cocked an eyebrow.

"I have a full magazine just loaded up." he stated, as his armored fingers brushed the sidearm clasped at his thigh.

"I'll keep that in mind." Eleven said, with a cynical smile. "I could use some food. And a haircut, perhaps. But I need to check on the girls first, they must be starving too. We've been on the run for several days now."

He said it like he wasn't desperate to see his sisters, yet it was painfully obvious.

Cortana nodded and smiled, she grabbed his arm to walk with him.

"You have to tell me all about it." she demanded.

"I will. And I promise you won't like it."

Their way to the medical bay was escorted by two fireteams, again; but only the three of them entered the sealed facilities. Osman's technicians were standing aside. In the center of the aisle Dr. Quinn was scolding some other man, the look in his face was half annoyed, half penitent; the badges pinned in his lab uniform confirmed he was the head technician of Osman's crew. The Doctor pointed out of the aisle and the man spat something back, but then he left. When he passed by the Chief, Cortana and the other young man, he gave them a looming look but didn't say anything.

"The nerve of that asshole." Dr. Quinn said when they approached.

"What was that?" asked Eleven, immediately. "Where are my sisters?"

"Don't worry, I won't let them lay a finger on my patients as long as they're under my watch. One of them is just a baby girl and the other one can't defend herself, this is outrageous. I will personally denounce this to Lord Hood." the woman was really angry, she pushed her glasses up with her middle finger. She looked at the Chief and nodded. "Visitors are not allowed, but I guess we can make a little exception. Five minutes only. This way."

Behind a wide metallic hatch there was an enormous white room sub-divided with panels and narrow hallways, each constricted cubicle contained a bunk bed screwed to the floor grating and medical equipment. Some cubicles were sealed with glass doors. Most of them were occupied and the nurses were running up and down the hallways with trays or equipment, tending the needs of the patients. The majority of the interns were survivors of the Rampant Spike's recent attack, the severity of their injuries varied and there were at least one or two casualties every day.

John didn't look away, neither did Cortana or her sibling.

The Chief just gritted his teeth beneath the blank expression of his face and kept going, trying to ignore the disgusting weight settled down his stomach. He was used to see the consequences of war, but this was something entirely different. The Doctor lead them to another hatch and other kind of quarters, more private and secured. She stood beside a door and looked at Eleven right in the eyes:

"Five minutes." she repeated, and pressed her palm in the wall's pad.

"How are they?"

"Pretty much healthy, but exhausted and they don't want to go to sleep. I guess it has something to do with you, so... keep in mind that we're a little short on sedatives and other people need them more desperately. I'll be right back."

He nodded, tossed his messy hair back and straightened his pose. The Doctor left and when the door slid open, Eleven entered the room. Cortana and John waited outside, watching through the glass at the little child and the woman who jumped off the bunk bed and ran towards the young man. He kneeled down to grab the child and stood up to face his other sister, the three of them merged in a hug. It looked like the most ordinary thing in the world, yet it was somewhat disturbing.

Cortana felt something ache inside her. She wanted to be there, with them.

It was like gravity, dragging her towards the rest of... herself?

"You want to join them." John said, observant.

"Is it that evident?" she chuckled, forlornly.

"Then why don't you do it?"

"It's not... I don't know, Chief. Not yet. I don't want to get involved."

He softly arched an eyebrow, doubtful, but he looked back at the sealed room and leaned against the wall. Really, what was he supposed to do with this? He wasn't trained to handle the sudden return of several human-shaped split personalities of his once AI field partner. John was pretty much used to improvisation but he didn't like to improvise over unknown circumstances, it was the kind of shit that could get you and your entire team killed. It wasn't his job to assume things, either.

He would have to play along, then, waiting for things to unfold.

A yielding sigh from Cortana called out his attention, again.

She didn't look at him but she crouched against the wall, next to John, looking for his protection. She was hugging herself beneath the hooded sweatshirt.

"You know what the primary directive of a combat core is, Chief?" she muttered, almost to herself. Since John didn't say a word, she continued: " _To protect_. My combat core was instructed _to protect_ _you_ , my logical, mathematical and strategic cores were instructed _to assist you_. My personality core, however... well, there were no directives there. I liked you all by myself, nobody instructed me that."

"Do you trust him?"

"Of course not. But I believe him, so you can't shoot him just yet."

John wondered if it would be helpful to lay a hand on her shoulder, since Cortana looked so stressed. He chose not to, but couldn't shake off the uneasiness either.

 

**AUGUST 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**9:38 PM standard time**

 

After a haircut, a deeper medical scan conducted by Dr. Quinn herself and a quick shower, Subject Eleven reunited with Cortana and the Chief for a meal. The SPARTAN still wasn't talking much, but the food was decent: it looked like diced potatoes, soy beans and curry, accompanied with juice made of _almost_ real oranges. Once per week, the _Infinity_ 's kitchen served a more Earth-like menu to remind everyone that they still had a home. It was far better than the designated rations of dehydrated food, carb-bars and chemically enhanced water.

John didn't mind much, he was used to eat almost anything that wasn't poisonous and keep going; nutrition was necessary, taste aside. The entire meal elapsed in stressed silence, glances shooting from ones to the others.

When he finished, the Chief picked up the empty tray and left the table.

"He's way more silent than I remember." Eleven said, a hint of guilt in his voice.

"You can't blame him." Cortana muttered, stirring the curry with a plastic spoon.

"I don't blame him. It's so much to take in, I imagine that even a SPARTAN needs to process this somehow. Besides, I bet this male shape is not exactly of his liking..."

"He doesn't care about that, the Chief reacted the same when I showed up."

"No kidding. It's been a while, I wonder how did he..."

Eleven trailed off, lowering his gaze. Cortana understood, she was wondering the same. Although she had the chance to read his service file -at least, all the parts that she could hack without being caught-, she still wondered how did John manage to move on from their separation aboard the _Mantle's Approach_. She knew he was a tough guy and he survived far, far worse in the past, but this was different, it wasn't the kind of wound that you could patch up and just keep going.

She changed John as much as he changed her. She gave him something different than a purpose, so he...

"Well, he has a dog now." she smiled softly.

Eleven frowned, placing his spoon down in the tray.

"A dog? You mean one of those UNSC enhanced tactical dogs or a _dog-dog_?"

"Her name is Charley. UNSC K-9." Cortana nodded, her smile grew wider.

"... well, I guess he's kind of a dog person. Dogs are loyal and obedient."

"He's more like a _'whatever they need me to be'_ person."

The man snorted, annoyed. "Yeah. I bet she's a super-badass dog too, isn't she?"

"Did you expect any less of the Master Chief himself?"

They looked at each other for a short moment, then Eleven returned to his meal. The standard-issue haircut suited him nicely, he looked more like a professional soldier now. Clean, sharp. Cortana took in another spoon full of food and chewed slowly while watching him. It was easy to talk with this man, like... well, she was technically talking _with herself_ , but this way it didn't sound so insane.

If only the agglomeration of her rampancy made flesh was this reasonable.

"What happened to Two? Why does she have brain damage?" she asked.

Eleven swallowed and shook his head.

"Two was almost perfect. She had only one flaw: _she couldn't take it_." he said, his eyes drifted over the tinny surface of the table. "She tried to become our former self, she wanted all the knowledge, but her brain is human. It isn't made to run as fast as an AI's core, her cognitive processes saturated and became unstable. Her brain just gave up and shut down. She's not a vegetable but she barely notices anything besides me or Twelve, she almost can't speak."

"I'm sorry."

"The Rampant pushed her forward." he mumbled. "She's bat-shit crazy and wants to be the _only_ Cortana left alive. But _we all think alike_ and I'm sure we can outsmart her. I just need someone to hold that insane bitch down long enough for me to blow her head up and be done with it."

Cortana frowned, somewhat scared, and left her spoon on the table.

Eleven pushed his tray aside and looked up. John was heading back to them.

"Don't look at me like that. I shoot at things, I don't negotiate." he stated.

"It reminds me of _someone_ we know."

"Isn't that why we like him?" the man smiled, wryly.

The Chief walked by and instead of taking a seat again, he kept walking towards the exit. He met back there with fireteam Majestic, they exchanged salutes. The look in the team leader's eyes said more than a thousand words; he was absolutely ready to open fire at the slightest evidence of threat. Eleven crossed his arms over the table, studying De Marco, Madsen and Hoya's faces with interest.

"I'm glad Dr. Halsey bailed you out in time." Cortana said, sighing. "She helped us too, we were attacked by the Rampant Spike weeks ago. I thought we were goners, we weren't ready."

"Dr. Halsey?" he frowned, confused. Then he remembered something, and opened his mouth, now surprised. "Oh, you sure mean _Catherine_. She's not Dr. Halsey, well... not _the real_ Dr. Halsey, anyway; she's our older sister, Subject One. She was the first of us to make it through the _recomposition*_ process alive."

Cortana realized her mandible was hanging open after a short while.

" _What?_ " she spat, alarmed.

"What?" he repeated, confused.

"What do you mean she's not the real Dr. Halsey? She knows things, things that only the real Catherine Halsey would know..."

"Well, I don't know about that, but I'm sure she's not the person you think she is. Catherine has a glyph like us, too." he flashed his left wrist.

She frowned. Then, she remembered that, the whole time they were together at the _Fortress_ , the young Dr. Halsey called John by his serial number, she only called him by name when she said goodbye. Eleven's words made a little more sense, since from ever she could recall, Catherine Halsey refused to think of her precious SPARTANS as dull military machinery. Dr. Halsey always used _their given names_ when addressing to them.

“But, if it wasn't Dr. Halsey, then… who recomposed Catherine?” Cortana asked.

“Uh, I think she did it _herself_.”

Cortana had to stop for a full minute this time, to think. Inefficient human brain. She didn't have all the information required to put the pieces together, it was the most frustrating thing ever happened to her.

"How on Earth and the stars is something like that _even possible_?" she gave up.

"We were developed after a flash-clone of Dr. Halsey's brain, weren't we? These physical beings are products of the same desire: to be reunited with John. If given such a powerful reason, wouldn't you try to achieve the impossible?”

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

_*Cortana and the Chief were paired in 2552, she died in 2557. So little time, so much memories._

_*About “recomposition” and it not being an actual word… well, yes, here’s me, making up words much needed for this fanfic xD Such crap. Very wow. Deal with it._

Whoa, long chapter there, fellows. How about Cortana's siblings? :P We are not talking about the crazy suicidal scheme of kidnapping and crashing the _Infinity_ because of reasons, right? I like that ship too much, it would be such a shame if it gets ruined :P You better wait and see how that unfolds, it would be quite the ride -evil laughter- I'm wondering how's the Arbiter doing, I kind of miss him xD

**Thanks so much for reviewing and leaving kudos in this story, guys! See you next Sunday!**


	11. Dire Needs

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**10\. DIRE NEEDS**

 

**PROBABLY AUGUST 9TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: COVENANT REMNANT ASSAULT CARRIER _SONG OF RETRIBUTION_**

**standard time unknown**

"Intrusion! An unknown port opened _inside_ the ship!"

Jul 'Mdama leaned forward from his commanding seat, startled.

Inside of a moving ship, sliding through slip-space? How was it possible?

"Show me!" he snapped back, growling.

Several screens above his line of sight flared, running video feeds from inside the carrier. Some creature was moving in the shadows of the corridors, from the main cargo bay all the way ahead towards the bridge: it was a human-sized and made of black and lightning blue. There were several Sangheili Storms lurking around and in one of the screens, the soldiers collided with the object. Energy swords were drawn, but the black and blue blur quickly took them all out... it was impossible to see what kind of weapon the intruder used. 'Mdama only saw a flash of white and then purple blood.

The Shipmaster gasped. In another screen, other four Storms fell dead.

The camera feed followed the object, and every soldier that had the misfortune of finding the creature up front, dropped gushed out in a matter of seconds.

"Sound the alarms! Defend this ship!" 'Mdama roared, he rose from his chair with a nervous jump. "It must be one of the Demons!"

 _'How did they find us?'_ the Shipmaster thought, between rage and fear.

"Shipmaster, the heretic is heading towards the human woman's quarters."

With a loud battle cry, the Sangheili leader ran out of the bridge and several of his Elites followed him, weapons already in hand. It was quite the welcome party. 'Mdama and his men reached the deck of Dr. Halsey's quarters and laboratories first, there were two guards posted there. Noises from another corridor drew their attention and the body of a badly injured Elite flew across their eyes, leaving everyone with their small jaws hanging. A blue glimmering light ignited in the hall, as the now tranquil steps of a biped being grew closer. 'Mdama readied his weapon.

Behind him, the blast doors opened and a small, elderly woman missing an arm appeared, she seemed angry.

"What is this?" she scolded. "Are we under attack?"

The Elite leader was about to push her violently inside the room, but the creature appeared in his line of sight. It was small and didn't seem that dangerous, but her smile alone gave him the creeps. The Shipmaster growled and pointed onward with his energy sword. A rain of plasma bolts and needles fell over the place where the woman had been standing a blink ago, missing the target. He found her again: the intruder jumped and spinning in the air, she passed over the Elites' heads and fell inside the laboratory, with the grace of a gorgeous bird.

Dr. Halsey immediately snatched a sidearm from some Elite guard.

But when the attacker looked up from her crouching position, her dark hair falling in wild bangs over her delicate face; the Doctor recognized her. Her grip in the plasma pistol faltered. The hissing of charging plasma weapons grew around her.

"Cortana." she spat, under her breath. Immediately, the older woman barked: "Jul, tell these beasts to hold the fire!"

With a loud growl, the Shipmaster gave the halt order but he himself deployed his energy sword again. As the woman in black and blue approached Dr. Halsey, he reacted lightning fast and caught her by her fragile neck, raising her up in the air. The Sangheili growled and squeezed his enormous hand, but he was greeted with a sarcastic laughter and something cold stung him in the throat. When he lowered his yellow eyes, he saw a long shining-black spike protruding from the woman's armored arm. The edges were razor-sharp. Her shields flashed blue beneath his claws.

"Put me down." the Rampant Cortana said, dangerously. "Or your little cult would have to pick a new leader."

"Do what she says, Jul. I know her."

"This woman just killed an awful lot of my men!" 'Mdama growled, menacing.

"And for what I see, she could kill you too if she wanted so." Dr. Halsey stated, her voice derogatory. "Let me handle it; step back. I know what I'm doing."

"It's a monster." a Sangheili Warrior mumbled. "It smells like death."

The Shipmaster chose to listen to his man -and his gut- and he stretched his neck towards the armored woman. He sniffed at her and yes, the sore smell of death and hate filled his lungs. It was an awful combination. She wasn't dead, but she carried on her the scents of many lives taken... the blood of his recently murdered Elites too, dark purple spots marked the skin of her face and the shoulderplates of her strange armor.

"This _abomination_ killed my men." 'Mdama growled again, angry.

"Soon you will have more men for your war, more than you ever imagined."

For a long, tense moment, nothing happened.

After a short while, with a loud huff, the Shipmaster released his grip on the other woman's neck and threw her down to the grating. She fell on her feet, popping loudly the bones of her back like nothing happened. The black sword on her right arm melt and returned to the rest of her armor, like it was made of tiny beads.

Dr. Halsey took a step forward. She was still holding the pistol.

"Catherine, at last. I've heard you were shot, but I had no idea you lost your arm. It must be absolutely frustrating to work like this, crippled like an animal." the young woman said, with a hint of sadness in her features.

"Is it really you, Cortana? You are _alive_? How?"

"Long and boring story. Let's say I'm living proof that the Composer works better than the Forerunners expected, after a few tweaks. I can give you the details later, you'll certainly enjoy them."

"How did you find me?"

"A magician never reveals her tricks."

Something was off, the Doctor couldn't put her finger on it just yet, but she could feel it. This construct was damaged. Her smile had a spark of insanity although her eyes were hypnotizing. Then she recalled what year was it and _how old_ Cortana, the AI she created, actually had become.

She instantly understood a few things, she'd seen rampant AIs before.

Yet, it was a unique opportunity to study such an unparalleled living being.

"Why are you not with John?" Halsey asked, serious.

It was a trick question. The woman flinched slightly when she heard the name she hated so much. But she smiled sweetly, clasping her fingers together like she used to do whenever she was close to him.

"I think I know where he is. But I'm in trouble, the UNSC wants to kill me."

"Welcome to the club. What do you want from me?" the Doctor asked, reluctant.

"I heard you're in for a little revenge. I'd like to give you a hand."

"Explain."

"I have ears inside the _Infinity_. Right now, that vessel is loaded up with civilians. They will drop them in the nearest colony at hand or they will refill supplies and keep going. Either way, that ship will have to dock somewhere, _very soon_. And I plan to be there when it happens."

"Cortana, what I have in mind is a little more subtle and definitive than attacking the biggest flagship of the UNSC."

With her most venomous smile, the Rampant Cortana purred: "Who said anything about attacking it?"

**AUGUST 9TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**05:46 AM standard time**

"We absolutely cannot dock _anywhere_." Captain Lasky mumbled, looking at his breakfast with an exhausted face. The sound of officer's chatting around them helped to keep their conversation a bit more private. "We will need to refill supplies and fuel in three days and we cannot get anywhere near a colony again, for as long as this goes on. Otherwise, we'll be sitting ducks."

He spent the last thirty-six hours with the Admiral and her second in command, in closed quarters, 'debriefing' Subject Eleven once more. The information he held proved to be very important and necessary to reinforce the security protocols of the warship and anticipate any possible outcome. However, the problem still was that they were making plans in the fog: Eleven could predict the Rampant Spike's moves, but he couldn't give them a time frame. It could be anytime. Anywhere.   

Until then they had to keep moving randomly, jumping in and out from slip-space in controlled time-lapses to avoid detection.

"We have to get the civilians out of the ship, Tom." said Sarah, worried.

"I know."

"There are children aboard, for God's sake."

"I know. _I know_ , I can't even..."

"What will Osman do about it?"

"Well, she doesn't want this to blow on her face, obviously. She's supposed to be pulling some strings deep-in FLEETCOM to get us a _halcyon_ -class carrier loaded with supplies. The fuel, however..."

"Shit."

"Yeah. I'm with you, I want the civilians out of the ship as soon as possible." he said. "Maybe I could convince the Admiral of deploying one or two frigates. Take them to the nearest planetary system, drop the civilians in and come back with the supplies. Two birds, one stone."

"It's a good idea, unless..." the Commander trailed off, then frowned. "Unless the Arbiter can give us a hand. We could dock in Sanghelios and resupply there, who would expect that?"

She definitively never expected to say something like that herself. Sarah looked inside her cup and smelled her coffee, tasted it in her mouth in search for traces of psychotropics or any other kind of drug. But she had to admit that, even if she didn't like the ex-covvies one bit, that was a good idea.

Tom's eyes lit up. He rose from his chair, exultant.

"Sarah, I swear; if it wasn't against regulation I'd kiss you right now."

The Captain left the mess hall almost running away, calling officers with gestures of his hands. The Commander sighed. Damned regulations.

 

**AUGUST 9TH 2558**

**LOCATION: SANGHEILI CARRIER _SHADOW OF INTENT_**

**06:24 AM standard time**

 

The Arbiter considered the idea with a deep, low growl.

The tall, serious woman called Admiral Serin Osman just proposed him to escort the _Infinity_ to Sanghelios for a resupply run. Obviously, she was implying that it had to be Sangheili supplies, to keep secrecy at maximum. That's why they were having that conversation in the deserted bridge of the _Shadow of Intent_ instead of the _Infinity_ , as well. The Elite leader understood, he wasn't that narrow-minded and he knew the kind of trouble such a big warship was for the crew, leaving aside the fact of the current extra civilian population.

And the younglings. Lasky seemed very worried about them.

"I understand your request, Admiral. And I accept." the Arbiter said, lowering his head with respect. "I will send a message to Sanghelios immediately, everything should be ready for our arrival. Set course to this coordinates, we should be there in forty-two of your standard hours."

The Arbiter handed Lasky a small transparent crystal, which he accepted politely. The alien found this particular human of his liking and thought he was an honest man. Well, after all, the Demon trusted this Captain.

"I assume we expect attack." the Elite leader continued.

"We cannot know for sure, Arbiter, but it would be wise to be prepared."

 _"Noted."_ the Arbiter said.

He realized his retort surprised the humans, for their faces were now curious more than troubled. The golden-coated alien clicked his mandibles, pleased.

"I see you've been acquainted with the culture." said Osman, interested.

"I've been paying special attention to your customs and straight-forward language. I found it utterly entertaining; humans don't have much time to waste in praises, poetry or fancy names, it seems." he answered, proudly.

"Impressive." the Admiral stated, with a wry smile. "We will inform you about the jump schedule. Thank you for your assistance, Arbiter."

 

**AUGUST 9TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC INFINITY**

**05:38 PM standard time**

 

There was something about war games that kept Eleven trapped.

It was probably the amount of strategy involved in each exercise, since he wasn't much of a planner himself. After so many hours of re-telling over and over again to the Admiral and the Captain things they certainly didn't wanted to hear, he felt the need for a distraction more like the need to sleep. Although he was designated a prisoner, he had a few privileges to move across a very limited number of decks without custody (given his now precious status as an asset).

When he saw the arena, he found himself a nice spot to watch the training.

Up above there was a large observation deck hanging off the wall. From that spot, officers and trainers kept track of the events, running diagnostics and evaluations. The current game finished and the simulation shut down, leaving just a white room and nine SPARTANS behind. Eleven recognized them, fireteams Bravo and Majestic. They were usually assigned to follow him around whenever the Master Chief wasn’t available. The team leader of Majestic saw him and tilted his head.

"Hey, you! Want to join?" DeMarco said, with a raw smile.

"Why? I'm not one of you." Eleven replied, politely.

"Grant doesn't want to play and we're a man short." Madsen stated, shrugging.

"You're a bunch of cheaters!" Tedra Grant shouted, from the observation deck.

The young man raised his eyes and he saw not only the red-headed SPARTAN, but he also found the Master Chief, Cortana and Commander Palmer along with some technicians. He recalled that John was a hell of an SO for war games; maybe that's why he was there.

"Sure. What are we playing?"

"Capture the flag, SPARTAN level." the grin in Hoya's face was a bad sign.

"... you just made that up."

"I told you, they're a bunch of cheaters." scolded Tedra, laughing.

"What? Are you afraid? You made it here in a Pelican about to explode, you can't take a friendly game?"

"You're SPARTANS. The best soldiers of the UNSC."

"He's sharp." pointed Thorne, although he wasn't making fun of the situation.

"He's afraid." said Madsen, popping the bones of his knuckles.

"I don't know... does your SO approve?"

Every head down in the arena turned up, all eyes on the Master Chief. He looked at Commander Palmer; she nodded once. Cortana was kind of expectant and amused. The Chief just crossed his arms.

"Go ahead." he said, serious. It was a waste of time, but it could be interesting.

"Rules, please?" Eleven asked.

"Ten minutes, two teams. The flag's worth is one hundred points, but you also get points for strategic behavior. The winner team gets extra hours in the next shore leave according the score." Palmer explained. "No weapons or disabling injuries allowed. All contenders must fight as a unit, individual behavior costs points of your team's score. This means you can end up with _negative scores_ , which means less shore leave time."

 _"Loading simulation."_ announced the war games AI. _"Free hand-to-hand combat scenario: capture the flag, advanced level. No further variables. Loading teams scores. Ten minute match."_

"Got it?" asked Madsen, tilting his head aside.

"Sounds like fun." Eleven retorted, copying the other man's gesture.

The two teams regrouped in opposite corners of the field. Majestic's approach was simple: to defeat Bravo at any cost, make it together to the flag's home base. Eleven got his orders: he was to stay behind, the SPARTANS would clear the way and he would capture the aforementioned flag. 

However, when the game actually started, things changed.

They weren't exactly cheating, but they clearly wanted to make Eleven the center of attention instead of drawing the attention away from him. The flag became worthless once both fireteams engaged combat, he realized about this too late. He could stop some fists and knees randomly flying towards him -from friends and foes alike-, but couldn't keep it going for long. He dodged a tremendous kick and rolled, trying to get away. The flag was alone, nobody watching. The scores in the screens kept going up.

"What the hell?" he murmured, it didn't make any sense.

Somebody grabbed him from behind and tossed him against a wall. It was Lieutenant Suzuka, fireteam Bravo's leader; a tall Asian woman with short dark hair pulled back in a funny ponytail. He tried to dodge her, but she grabbed his wrist and slammed him against the wall once more. He hit his head quite hard.

His ears were ringing. This time, his reflexes kicked in and he evaded the woman. Eleven rolled across the floor and got up, only to find another man from Bravo team just before his nose. He was fast, but not _SPARTAN fast_.

The clock hit the five minute barrier. Things went hot from then on.

Basically, whoever that could hit Eleven somehow, did it. _That_ was cheating.

Fireteam Majestic used him as bait, it was clear. Madsen separated from the group of fighting SPARTANS and captured the flag, anyway, at nine minutes thirty seconds. Eleven sighed in relief, his head hurt and his gut was punched so many times he could barely remember anything else.

From the observation deck, Cortana shook his head.

"Now I see why you say they are cheaters."

"I know my trade." SPARTAN Grant said, grinning.

Eleven got on his feet and coughed. No blood, so he was okay.

But he was pissed.

He made a mistake he wasn't planning to make twice.

He found a command screen. He hit console command and messed up a bit with the war games program; it responded showing a new training field. Some crappy hills, a sandy road and right at the bottom of the stadium, a larger hill with a rounded rock on top. It wasn't the most realistic design ever since it was like a straight line to the other side of the field, without major obstacles, but...

"Listen up! New game. There's the flag..." Eleven pointed to the rock, a large blue vertical banner appeared. "I want both fireteams Majestic and Bravo to defend it. If I snatch the flag off your noses, you lose."

 _"Loading modded simulation."_ the AI said, over the speakers. _"Untitled combat scenario, no further variables. Loading teams scores. Ten minute match."_

"You just got your ass kicked by one single fireteam, now you want to face _two at the same time_?" asked Suzuka, with a snort. "Did I rattle you brain that bad?"

"Yeah, he sure has a concussion." laughed Rafferty, another member of her team.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm just feeling luckier than a moment ago."

"What's the catch?" asked Thorne, suspicious.

"There's no catch. If you win, _you get_ _to give me a name_. But if I win, I get a favor from you. Anytime, anywhere, anything."

Thorne frowned. He still didn't trust him, or his wicked little smile.

"Fine." the SPARTAN said, cautiously. "I'm in."

"Okay, we'll do it." accepted Suzuka, confident.

DeMarco nodded. "I think I'll call you _Tinkerbell_ , how about that?"

The other SPARTANS just looked at each other but in the end, they all complied. The self-assured smiles on their faces said everything they were thinking: it was a piece of cake. Eleven smiled too, his smirk saturated with arrogance.

"Oh, wow. Now you're screwed." Cortana said, after a short whistle.

"I quote Suzuka, your friend just got his ass kicked." chuckled Palmer.

"I don't think so, Commander. Now he has all the input data. This should be good, I want to watch it from the arena level."

John remained silent, arms still crossed. Cortana headed to a short set of stairs and beneath the observation deck, the clock started to run.

At first, it was like a slow dance. The SPARTANS tried to fight like the previous match, they appealed at the same techniques. _Just as Eleven was expecting_. For the first one or two minutes, he mostly dodged, swiped and kicked them, using the SPARTANS' strength against themselves. More than once he led two men onto each other's faces, colliding. He actually wasn't fighting back. Eleven held a defensive stance and retreated, deviating punches and kicks with fluid moves of his arms or legs. At some point, he was holding against four SPARTANS at the same time and things got rough.

It was the confident grin what pissed the SPARTANS off.

He made it across three quarters of the field without even breaking sweat. After the seven minute mark, Paul DeMarco rammed against Eleven but he graciously swiped away, leaving his foot behind. The SPARTAN tripped and fell ahead, unaware. Thorne tried to grab Eleven by the arm, but he turned away and rose a leg, shoving the instep of his foot right in the other man's face.

"Don't worry, it's not broken." he snorted, at the same time he rolled back to step away from Hoya's fists.

He captured Hoya and twisted his wrist until his arm gave up and he fell on one knee, groaning in pain. From behind, DeMarco tried to attack again and he got a heavy boot buried in his gut so deep that shoved him away at least three meters. Suzuka and her second in command charged from up front; Eleven let go of Hoya's twisted arm and flipped back, ran across the field and when other two members of Suzuka's team closed his way...

He just dropped to his knees, leaning back, and let the momentum drive him fast between the two men, dodging cleanly from their grip. He leaped up and elbowed one of the men in the back of the skull, turned around and made the other man trip, hitting the back of his knees with two well placed short punches.

Then he just walked a few meters and grabbed the flag, with a greedy smile.

"Shit." cursed Suzuka, hands on her hips.

The simulation stopped at eight minutes fifty-five seconds.

"You fucker." DeMarco growled, holding his stomach. "You were pretending to suck at this?"

"No, you just underestimated me. I needed intel. Now you owe me a favor."

Eleven walked back to lend Majestic's team leader a hand.

Paul DeMarco could have slapped the hand away and be done with it, but first he considered the situation and then accepted the peace offer. He got up and gave Eleven a strong handshake, instead.

"All right. My team owes you a favor. Bring it on." said DeMarco.

"Later. However... I'd like to train with you people, some other time."

John was still at the observation deck with the Commander, both of them looking down. He loomed over the arena like the sharpest predator. From ground level, Cortana saw a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, clear blue irises full of curiosity.

In Master Chief's language, it meant cautious acceptance.

Not trust, but it was something.

 

**AUGUST 9TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ / SLIP-SPACE**

**10:19 PM standard time**

 

The loud humming of the _Infinity_ 's engines was proving to be relaxing, that is, if you had something else to focus your attention on besides the obnoxious noise. Cortana felt like she needed a little time alone with the Chief to talk privately. A backup plan was utterly required, just in case. The _Infinity_ would refuel in the Sangheili home world in about forty hours and most of the military personnel had a seventy-two hours guard shift ongoing.

Cortana was nervous about it. She had a bad feeling and John knew it.

But after a while, the conversation drifted from 'serious plans' to 'not so serious plans' to end in 'that thing I found the other day'. John produced a small plastic package from his pocket and held it in front of Cortana, with certain amusement.

"I found this beneath the seat of a warthog." he said.

"What is it?"

"First I thought they were just cards, but look..."

John sprayed the cards between his fingers, like a paper fan, showing most of the pieces. There were different messages written in the white side, it wasn't a set of regular poker cards.

Cortana tilted her head and smiled.

"Oh, it's an old Earth game, it’s called _truth or dare_. Every card has a statement that can be interpreted two ways: if one chooses _truth_ , one must confess something related to that statement; if one chooses _dare_ , one must do something. It's a silly game, you can play it only a few times before it becomes repetitive."

John picked a random card and read the statement. Then, he passed it to Cortana.

" _Something you'd like to do, but you haven't tried. Truth or dare?_ " she read aloud, and flipped the card between her fingers. "You want to play?"

"What would it be?"

"You go first." Cortana tried to control her smile, intrigued.

"I'll go for truth. _Fishing_. Chief Mendez said it was something every man should do. He had a way to tell you about it that made the whole thing sound very interesting. Your turn."

"I think I'll choose..."

She stared at John's eyes for a short moment, her smile slowly faded. _It was such a quiet blue_. She was about to say _'to touch you'_ , but it was stupid. The only thing that she ever wondered about... well, she fulfilled that wish a long time ago, with extra dose of pain for both of them. But there was something else, right? There was _always_ something else, maybe something she couldn't even dare to think about. She felt her heart pound in her ears, it was such a nuisance...

Well, she was as stubborn as he was.

And they were pretty much alone back there.

"Cortana?"

"I choose _dare_." Cortana said, resolute.

He was at ease, almost distracted. She quickly grabbed John by the collar of his shirt and pulled herself up (she would never be strong enough to move _him_ , obviously) and locked their lips together. He instantly closed his hands around her waist, maybe to pull her away, but...

None of them moved. Probably, because none of them knew exactly what to do.

At least, Cortana remembered to close her eyes; it was a little less uncomfortable that way. She wasn’t even breathing. It was a long and tense moment of 'nothing is happening' until she took a step back and let go of his shirt. She licked her lips, nervous. His confused stare was intimidating.

Cortana cleared her throat: "Um... that was a bit awkward."

"I think you're not doing it right."

She was about to reply something, but then she caught his scent of standard issue soap and clean clothes. She felt his warmth. The feel of his hands crawling up her back until the space between them became null made her mind go blank. Her heart pounded faster, heat exploded inside her belly and she forced her arms to move, to climb up his chest and find his broad shoulders. John leaned in this time and kissed her, just a simple and fleeting touch, almost innocent.

So brief she couldn't even enjoy it.

It was a bit more intense but no, it wasn't right either, somehow she realized they were just acting like curious little kids. She felt her cheeks burn, it was so disconcerting and...

It felt good. _So good_.

"Now, that was interesting." she muttered, against his lips.

"Yeah. I think I'll spare the cards." John said, his face unreadable.

He let her go, Cortana finally stepped on her feet and realized she wasn't standing on her own before. She was also about to say that she couldn't believe what she just did -what they both just did- when they should be making plans to keep themselves and every single person aboard the _Infinity_ alive, but...

Well, there was a difference between things wasted and things well spent.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Last week I finished reading **First Strike** and **Ghosts of Onyx**. I liked them _very_ - _very_ much. _SPARTANS never die_ (and, apparently, they never eat, sleep, take a leak or shower in weeks, either; although, seeing how long it takes to unlock pieces of armor, maybe I'd hold my piss indefinitely too). I like Dr. Halsey now, she obviously can tell the difference between the real Cortana and a crazy-ass fake, right?. But this woman wants the knowledge of the universe and that might be very dangerous. Sometimes she creeps me out, I don't know what to make of her.

Anyway, back to the story, let's not mention the damned regulations or what a show-off Subject Eleven is. If you think about it, an ex-combat AI could outsmart any contender after detailed evaluation, so not that shocking in the end.

... no, I'm not mentioning the kiss either. Who's screaming like that? What? :P

**UPDATES NEXT SUNDAY. Come on and review, it makes this writer very happy to chat with other fans! :)**


	12. Heads Up

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Today will be mostly about character development, with surprises. Enjoy! :)

**11\. HEADS UP**

 

**AUGUST 11TH  2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**3:53 AM standard time**

 

She woke up to a very bright room.

Cortana blinked a few times, still sleepy and confused, and frowned. The mattress was comfortable but the pillow quite hard. Something smelled like vanilla -yes, it was definitively vanilla- and there was way too much sunlight. It was odd. Her quarters were pretty much in the center of the ship, so direct sunlight would never make it there.

 _Real sunlight_ , that felt warm and cozy. Wonderful.

She moved the covers and tried to get on her feet, but something heavy kept her pinned to the mattress. Quickly, her fingers scanned the object and her heart throbbed, there was a muscular arm hugging her waist; large fingers gently sprayed over her belly. The heat of that palm suddenly felt white hot.

Then, she saw the other arm. Her head had been resting on his bicep all along.

She instinctively knew it was a man.

There was a man. _In her bed_.

Cortana sucked in a breath and felt a shiver run down her spine, she looked behind her, only to find the contour of a strong shoulder. She tried hard to remember something -anything- that could explain the situation, and the vivid memory of a secret kiss shared away from indiscrete eyes emerged. She blushed violently, her heart pumping faster and faster about to jump off her chest.

"Chief?" she had to ask, because of reasons.

The response was a deep, sleepy growl that made her skin crawl.

"Still early, don't get up." he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

His arms closed possessively around her and forced the woman to lay down again, holding her tight. She realized they both were naked, since she felt the soft touch of his skin against hers. It was incredibly hot in there, by any chance was something on fire? _Maybe her whole body was_.

How come she couldn't remember spending the night with John?

Besides, from a naive kiss to spending the night? Well, talk about escalation.

Cortana snapped out of it and quickly struggled to turn around. John cooperated by loosening his grip on her until she found a new comfortable position, then held her closely again. She found his eyes, clear blue without a trace of doubt, shame or any kind of worry. He wasn't smiling, yet she could feel his _satisfaction_. She didn't know what to do with her hands or what to say either, she just couldn't stop looking at him in deep astonishment. Did it really happened?

Dammit, she couldn't remember!

"Hey." she squeaked, still shocked.

"Hey there." he answered, amused.

Cortana felt her cheeks burn again. She carefully placed a hand on his chest, just to try out if he was real or some kind of hallucination. The dry heat pierced through her palm straight to her already altered emotions.

"Nope, it's real." she mumbled for herself.

"I know it's hard to believe, but please, try." he snorted, a faint smile in his lips.

"Chief, what is this?" she said, pretty much at a loss of words.

"I call it _sleeping in_."

His reply was calm, pleased.

After a short moment, John reached out for a kiss. She didn't reject the advance, in fact, she was quick enough to respond by locking her lips with his. This time it was very different, nothing about it felt strange or funny; it was intense and serious, as if they had figured out how to do it properly in the turn of one night. _It felt right_. Much more than right, it felt hot and sexy.

Sexy? Where did that word come from?

Cortana sighed in a moan when she felt his calloused hands head down the small of her back, a shiver of sheer pleasure erupted through her skin. He kissed her neck and she melted; what kind of sorcery was that? She took a very long moment to appreciate the arousing awareness of his solid muscle against her belly and breasts. At last, the need to breathe was stronger and she pulled back.

"Oh, God." Cortana muttered, ecstatically.

"Wrong; I'm not God." he growled, digging his fingers in the flesh of her...

Cortana's eyes snapped open in the dark of her private quarters and she sat on her bed, where she was all alone. Sweat rolled down her heated skin. No warm sunlight, no scent of vanilla. No kiss and no rough hands. No Chief.

She understood immediately.

"It was a dream." she sighed, somewhat upset. "A dream, nothing else."

How could it be a dream and feel this real? Maybe it was one of the perks of being human, all sensations were genuine even when sleeping, amazingly vivid and full of emotion. Maybe something was wrong _with her_. She thought she should feel ashamed but the feeling wasn't there; was it normal for people to have that kind of dreams? She never wondered about that, as an AI her interests were unlimited but she preferred to learn about things that could be useful for both her purposes and John's. Cortana pulled herself out of bed and paced nervously across the narrow room. She couldn't shake off the coiling heat.

"It was _just_ a dream." she mumbled, closing her eyes.

Then, why was it so disappointing?

She dressed on the double and got out of the room, roaming through the corridor.

It was still early, most of the halls were empty and she passed by only a handful of soldiers on guard duty. Most of the _Infinity_ was asleep, they were in slip-space after all. Cortana sighed loudly again, she needed a distraction. The memory of Eleven and the two girls appeared on her mind. She still wasn't ready to face the other two, although her 'brother' insisted on it and she hated to let him down; they were sleeping in closed quarters at the med-bay. Nobody was allowed to enter the med-bay after visiting hours, Dr. Quinn was very strict about it.

Cortana shook her head in denial, hugging herself.

Her skin felt a little prickly under the clothes. She rubbed her arms up and down, recalling again the tingling sensation of those rough hands from her dream. She wished it wasn't just a ghostly feeling.

 

**AUGUST 11TH  2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**4:42 AM standard time**

 

The Master Chief released the safety of the weapon and pulled the trigger, testing it. The mechanism clicked, as expected the chamber was empty. A large magazine, also empty, rested on his left thigh waiting to be refilled. He looked inside the chamber with a flashlight and saw a disturbing yet thin layer of grease mixed with dust. That could jam the rifle and get someone killed.

He removed his right armored glove; the task needed precision.

Then, he pulled a cylindrical brush and used it to clean the insides of the chamber. He blew some air in the hole to clear the view and tried again. Sometimes, you just had to do it _old school_ way, which was actually the way he learnt to do a lot of things.

 _Infinity_ was still a long way away from the Sangheili home world, and most of the crew that wasn't cryo-sleeping was scheduled for drills, war games or support activities. And since he was still another eighty minutes away from the end of his second shift, John decided to join the gunnery officers and re-check the arsenal. He didn't have pretty much anything else to do, anyway, Cortana was asleep. There was no more war -well, at least, the kind of war that needed SPARTANS to win- and he sometimes felt anxious about getting off the ship, even if it was for a recon mission. Old habits die hard.

However, what he felt wasn't just the force of habit.

It reminded him of his many conversations with Dr. Waters.

_"Ma'am." he saluted, automatically. She outranked him quite a lot, after all._

_"No ranks allowed within the walls of my office, John. Can I call you John? Since there's no last name recorded in your file..."_

_He hesitated, yet lowered his arm quickly._

Few people called him by his given name, being Dr. Halsey and Cortana on top of the shortest list ever. It was a name he never truly recognized as his own, but with time he got used to it and made it as his as his serial number was. Thirty years of almost non-interrupted combat changed a lot of things, both inside and outside of his head.

_"John is fine." he said, nodding._

_"Wonderful. My name is Selena Waters. It’s my pleasure to meet one of the most renowned men in the history of the UNSC." they shared a respectful handshake. “You can call me Selena if it makes you feel more comfortable.”_

_Comfortable. Now, that word was completely alien to the Chief._

_“Dr. Waters.” he established, serious._

_The blonde woman pointed at a large sofa in which he sat down, she sat across the office in a cushioned chair, beside a little table with a lava lamp -an antique-. She was older than her apparently young looks, he knew that for a fact. "I'll be very honest with you, John: I never gave counseling to a SPARTAN of your class before. I guess this is going to be an interesting experience for both of us."_

_He took a deep breath, but didn't say anything._

The Chief put the rifle down when he was satisfied with the maintenance. Then, he took the magazine and a small pack of ammunition; he refilled the magazine one large caliber projectile at a time.

The first ten or twelve weekly sessions were hard. Dr. Waters seemed focused on asking questions whose answers were either classified or uncomfortable, facts that made John think twice many times before to speak. First, because he didn't trust the woman. Second, because he was extremely reluctant to talk about his personal experiences with someone he didn't knew or trust. And third, because he'd rather be lost somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest, doing something as silly as fishing piranhas if that was what the UNSC wanted him to do.

But the UNSC wanted him to do this: to sit on a couch and talk.

A few times, he thought of leaving for good. Who would care, anyway?

He wasn't the last of his kind but he was certainly worn out in many, many ways. When he couldn't do anything to save Cortana, he knew a part of him was done, that he just faced the greatest breakdown of his career. He protected Humanity once again, yes, he saved millions of anonymous people; but he couldn’t save someone close to him. That certainty made him question about his own reliability as a soldier. It is true that it wasn't his mission to take Cortana back to Earth with Dr. Halsey, but it was something he promised to do. Something he needed to do.

_What would **she** say if she could see him like that? _

And that was what kept him in that couch for over ten months, actually: he didn't want to fail again. If he had just took off and disappeared, like he wanted to do at first, it would have been another failure. The only way to win was to endure the whole therapy and get back to work, ASAP. To convince himself of it was hard too, but slowly he started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

He wasn’t trained to give up. So he wasn’t giving up.

Yet, certain truths were painful and hard to accept, even for a SPARTAN.

_"Tell me, John; the Human-Covenant War is over now. It took so long and we lost so many lives, but it's over. Have you thought about what would you do from now on?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"There's no more war."_

_"The Covenant is not fully neutralized yet. I'll go wherever I'm needed."_

_The Doctor smiled softly. She lazily tangled loose bangs of her blonde curls with the tip of her pen, while watching at him. Her face was unreadable._

_"I'm not trying to make you feel useless, John. But most soldiers who make it alive at your age choose either a well deserved commissioned rank or retirement; maybe, to become field trainers and shape up new recruits. Have you thought about retirement?"_

_"Look at me, Doctor." he said, coldly. "What else could I do?"_

_She put the pen down on the little table, along with the tablet. Still, the Doctor took a short glance at the parallel scars on the back of his hands, carefully._

_"What would **you** want to do?"_

_He was about to answer something related with Cortana or his teammates, but he chose to shut up and rethink. Therapy was surprisingly tricky. She knew he was giving her evasive answers -fifty percent of their talk was smoke and mirrors anyway, but the fifty percent that was real mattered a lot-, yet she never pushed him._

_He didn’t answer that question._

_“With your CSV you could easily be a great trainer. You are a legend, John; who wouldn’t like to be under your command? Or you could just take a break, Humanity knows you need it.”_

_“I don’t need a break. I need purpose.”_

_The Doctor blinked a few times, surprised. It was hard for her too to understand how deeply hardwired the SPARTAN training was, especially for a second generation SPARTAN, but she was getting there._

_"I have a friend in the UNSC that runs the entire K-9 delegations. I can talk him into accepting you for the program, they are always looking for suitable candidates to pair with the enhanced tactical dogs they raise and train. Would you like to give it a try, if I get you the chance?"_

_"I don't understand, you want to get me a dog?"_

_"Is that how you see it?"_

_"That's how it sounds." he slightly shrugged._

_"You know, there are plenty of studies and research that prove the efficiency of animal-based therapies; mostly in post-traumatic stress disorders like yours.”_

_“So, you think I **need** a dog.”_

_“Well, you said yourself that you needed purpose, didn’t you?”_

And that’s how he met Charley. At first, the dog was the most annoying thing he ever had to deal with: she was young and undisciplined; she cared to spend more time sleeping, hiding from him, barking and chewing things than actually training. She was incredibly loud. But with patience he managed to shape up a six month old puppy into a fine enhanced tactical asset, the best of the litter. She grew up a lot, too, from a sloppy critter into a dog the size of an adult lion in less than a year.

Towards the end of his leave (maybe out of generosity) somebody asked him if he would prefer to remain in the K-9 program and keep being Charley’s handler. The dog was about to be stationed at the _Infinity_ ’s permanent unit, so he just accepted and now there they were, together.

John and Dr. Waters had a few conversations about Cortana, but none of them dug deep into the subject. The woman didn't seem to care that much about it; she addressed the issue as another life lost in the line of duty, an event like every other in the military. He would vigorously disagree, but Dr. Waters was in charge.

The Chief tucked the magazine in the rifle, then tapped it with the talon of his hand until he heard the familiar locking sound. He readied a projectile in the chamber and took aim. The scope was so unbalanced. That rifle was so fucked up he seriously doubted it had saved any Marine's life lately.

_"I think I want to travel a bit. I've never been on Earth this long before."_

_"Where were you born, John?"_

_"I don't remember." he wasn't used to lie, but he did it anyway._

_Dr. Waters quickly scribbled something down in her pad. He wasn't edgy about her doing that anymore. Actually, he wasn't nervous about anything related with her, her questions or her counsel anymore; John felt respect for the woman's job._

_"Well, Earth is the crown jewel of the colonies." Dr. Waters said, and she left the pad aside. "I think your idea is great, there are magnificent places to visit. How long do you plan to travel?"_

_"I have two more months of leave."_

_"Are you taking your friend with you?"_

_"I don't think that's possible. Dogs don't get leaves."_

_The woman smiled wider. "So, is this goodbye, John?"_

_"... you have to discharge me, first."_

_"You know I already have. You're a very quiet man but you're quick and smart as a fox, I'm sure you were informed about my report. We had no appointment today, yet you made it anyway; right on time. Is there anything you want to tell me?"_

_He shifted in his seat._

_"Thank you, Dr. Waters." John said, politely. "For everything."_

_After a short moment, the woman got up from her chair; John immediately stood on his feet. She lend him a hand, looking at him in the eyes. "Then, I'm glad to inform you that you are discharged, Master Chief. The merit is all yours. And about dogs not getting leaves... talk with Sergeant Reynolds next Monday. If you happen to visit Paris, I would consider the favor repaid if you bring me one of those little plastic Eiffel towers. You know, for my desk."_

_"Of course, ma'am."_

_They shared a strong and reassuring handshake. Then, they saluted each other._

That was the last time he saw her, yet not the last time he heard about her. John undertook his plans for traveling and the Doctor left the planet a few weeks later. Dr. Waters was a renowned counselor of the UNSC, she was assigned to the most particular cases and she was usually wandering from one station to the other, attending at her numerous patients. It was by orders of Lord Hood that she put in standby most of her activities to stay close to the hero of Humanity.

And the hero was silently thankful for it.

John picked up some tools and proceeded to align again the rifle's scope. It took him less than five minutes to accomplish it, but when it was done, he raised the weapon and aimed. He squeezed the trigger.

The round hit the center of the holographic target.

Now the Chief felt more at ease, and not only about the rifle.

 

**AUGUST 12TH  2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ ORBITING SANGHELIOS**

**10:13 AM standard time**

 

The four Sangheili small carriers approached, as they were instructed. Their duty was to attach themselves to the _Infinity_ and ferry her across atmosphere for secure dry-docking in a station at the Capital Keep of the State of Vadam. The warship was too big to maneuver alone in the already crowded airspace of Sanghelios. It would have been easier to refill their supplies in orbit but it would take longer, hence the Admiral decided to go all the way and attempt a landing.

Technical adaptations would be required for the whole process. Dr. Glassman's crew had been literally on fire working non-stop for the past two days to make the alien technology compatible with the ship's systems. The Sangheili energy delivery structures were different, since their energy sources were way more advanced. But thanks to the Forerunner tech embedded within the _Infinity_ , some other things were a lot easier. Many people wondered what kind of food the Sangheili ate, or if the taste of their water would be nice. There was a lot of expectation amongst the crewmen.

With yearning in his golden eyes, the Arbiter looked at the reddish scenery of his homeland and sighed, clicking his mandibles in meditation.

He hadn't been home for a while.

"Our people are not allowed to leave stations during the resupply, Arbiter. There's nothing to worry about." said Captain Lasky, in appeasing tone. "We know Sanghelios is not Earth, and we're not taking any kind of advantages that could result in discomfort among your kind."

The upper screens of the strategic commanding aisle showed different video feeds from the escorting Broadswords' cameras. There were a lot of Sangheili civilians in the streets, looking at the sky. Most of them seemed curious, surprised. So much excitement made Lasky's stomach flip a little.

"Vadam was once my Keep." the alien commented. "Now that I'm the Arbiter, my people respect me even more. If I say humans are welcome to stay, then they are; yet I find your resolution of not making large scale contact most appropriate. Things are still a little sore within certain factions."

"We won't cause you any trouble, you have my word."

"Were it so easy, the Demon is here. Wherever he is, destruction usually follows."

"We can say he's incredibly lucky in so many levels." the Captain chuckled.

"No, Thomas Lasky. You lie to me."

Lasky's face went pale.

"Sir, I..." he started, nervous.

"You expect attack." the Arbiter insisted, serious.

The Captain pursed his lips, uneasy. They already had implied the possibility of hostilities in another talk, but this time the alien knew that something wasn't being said. The human's expression was conclusive.

"Yes, we do." he answered. "This is a one-in-a-million opportunity; we have intel that suggests we may or may not be engaged. It's a fifty-fifty chance, way more than I'd like."

"Two of the biggest fleets on this side of the galaxy against one single individual don’t seem much of a threat. But I have seen with my own eyes what this corrupted construct can do. I wouldn't take her lightly either."

"I want to clarify that I never meant to lie. I just wasn't at a liberty to discuss it."

"Your superior officer should have considered sharing this information."

"She should, Arbiter, but she's top brass and I don't get to tell her what to do."

"Then, you will tell her that the Arbiter says we are supposed to _work together_. We cannot protect your people for as long as you are here if we do not know what the plans are. I expect to be trusted at least with the basics."

The Captain's expression was somewhat sheepish. The Arbiter understood.

"You are absolutely right." Lasky sighed. "I'll try to make it happen, sir."

The Elite leader clicked his mandibles again, nodding. He couldn't wait to get off the ship and stretch his legs in land, breathe the air of his own world and hear the voices chanting in the streets. Maybe even eat something that hadn't been in storage for a long period of time, and get some sleep. Oh, yes; sleep.

Sleep would have to wait, he had priorities to attend.

"Sir, all carriers attached and engines running in standby. We are touching land in five minutes." informed Roland, his faint amber figure popping up at the corner of the holo-table. "Should I make any announcements?"

"The crew already has their orders, Roland. Thank you."

"Then I'll concentrate my processing power in overseeing the resupply, sir."

"Knock yourself out." the Captain smiled, satisfied.

When Roland disappeared, Lasky leaned in to observe carefully the holographic display of the current activities: there was an amber miniature of the ship and four red shapes -the carriers-, the current course, the expected landing angle, the station waiting to receive the gigantic ship's structure. And the rough terrain of the mountain top where the _Infinity_ would lay her tremendous weight. It was pretty much a standard spaceport, it had all the accommodations for massive carriers including repair sub-stations, large cargo elevators and flexible fuel ducts.

The Captain cleared his throat. "We have a few minor repairs listed, Arbiter. It shouldn't take long or bother the activities of your officers either."

"About taking your civilian passengers to somewhere safe..." the Arbiter started.

The man raised his head, curious.

"Please, go ahead."

"My fleet could assist you." the alien said, with confidence.

"Your fleet?"

"I can drop your civilians in any human planetary system of your choosing. If we divert the efforts, you increase the chances of survival for your people by fifty percent. The enemy is after the _Infinity_ , isn't it?"

Captain Lasky frowned a little. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"It came to me that it could be a relief for your crew." the Arbiter said, carefully.

"Indeed, it could be a good strategy and it's very thoughtful of you, Arbiter, but I don't get to make the choice. I'll discuss your proposal with Admiral Osman and let you know."

The Elite leader closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.

"Very well, I'll wait for your word."

"We really want to cause you the less trouble possible, sir." insisted Lasky.

"Then, one last thing; would you allow me to arrange an event for our diplomats to meet your people? I think it would be proper to introduce yourselves, since we are supporting your operation."

Tom's eyes went wide this time.

"Of course, I mean, we don't want to offend anyone."

"Good. I will send you the time schedules once the event is set. In the meantime, I will order my assault forces to set a defensive perimeter around this mountain top and be ready."

The Captain accepted the gigantic paw of the alien and they shared a handshake.

"Thank you, Arbiter."

"I hope someday you could do the same for my kind, Captain. I'll be seeing you."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

I bet the only "action" Cortana will get for now is the one on her dreams xD So, how about therapy? Dr. Waters seems cool, I kind of picture her as a bit more mature Natalie Dormer xD I don't think we'll see more of her, this is only a little flashback to enlighten us about things that needed background, like Charley's origins. This dog has a role to play before everything ends, so don't forget about her :) Other things are about to get fucked up again soon, so don't get your seatbelts off yet... but for now, let's enjoy the Arbiter's home. Sanghelios is so underrated!

Thank you for being here every week and leaving your words, it makes me very happy to entertain you!

Join us for the next episode, _Party at Vadam Keep_!... just kidding. There will be an alien party soon, but not just yet, there are other things first. Let's make sure nobody important dies next Sunday!

**Don't forget to leave your comments, pals! You feed this beast :)**


	13. Small Bites

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

I decided to add some sub-notes about specific locations because of reasons...

**12\. SMALL BITES**

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN SANGHELIOS**

**MAIN CARGO BAY**

**3:48 PM standard time**

 

Cortana stretched her arms and felt the breeze caress her face. Sanghelios smelled a lot like salt and iron, it was a very strong and powerful scent. She wasn't sure if Earth smelled the same, but given that both planets' soil composition and atmosphere were similar, she'd bet it did. She closed her eyes for a long, peaceful moment, just hearing at the wind and the engines whining in the distance. Then, Cortana dropped her head to rest her chin atop her arms, crossing them over the guardrail.

Through the gigantic open jaw of one of the cargo bays of the _Infinity_ , a wide red landscape coated in sunlight saluted them. Two levels below, at the main deck, a swarm of soldiers, mechanics and technicians moved quickly hundreds of boxes and crates full of supplies. The Elites assigned to help with the tasks were doing nicely too.

It was a bit reassuring to see two different races (that were once enemies sworn to destroy each other without mercy) working together like that.

"I can’t believe they didn’t get you a _plus one_ pass." Cortana said, sighing.

The Master Chief turned around to look at her, holding his rifle -aiming down- in a very professional fashion.

 "A what?" he asked, oblivious.

"Are you asking me for real?" she blinked, confused. He nodded. "It's... well, it's an invitation that says you can bring someone else with you."

He shrugged. "I don't get out much."

"No kidding. You could pull some strings with the Arbiter."

"For what?"

Cortana slowly rolled her eyes, a bit frustrated, and finally straightened her pose. She loved to spend time alone with John, but sometimes he was a little too...  instead of complaining or congratulate him with a sarcastic retort, she chose to dazzle him with a radiant smile and leaned back on her elbows against the guardrail.

"Come on, Chief. Take a girl out." her voice was sweet, almost seductive.

"You want _to go with me_ to the diplomatic gathering?"

Her smirk grew wider. "I thought you'd never ask!"

"It's a covert operation, Cortana, not a party."

Cortana flicked her tongue. She was aware that it was all on purpose, the Arbiter wanted to use the assembly both as a diplomatic meeting and an ambush. It was risky and it could be extremely dangerous, but it was already set and John was in, one way or another. It had been partially his idea.

"You wouldn't complain if I were still stuck in your skull." she groaned, upset. "Besides, do you speak sangheili? No, you don't. You'll need a translator, you can bring me as a consultant or something."

"Sigrid has a translation function."

"Yeah, well... but is she _half_ as charming as I am?"

"It's not about charm either."

The woman chewed on her lower lip, dissatisfied. She'd swear to God -if such entity existed- that she had no idea of how she managed to dream about such a different man the other day. Speaking of odd dreams, she felt a warm shiver run down her back and hugged herself, her heart throbbing.

He probably didn't notice.

They both fell silent for a long moment, just staring down at the busy cargo bay.

John was damn right, she shouldn't be thinking about going to alien parties when they were expecting a rain of fire. But it would be a first for her, so what the hell. With all the SPARTANS assigned, saying that the Arbiter's party would be the safest place in Sanghelios was a huge understatement.

"On a second thought..." he started. John shifted his weight from one leg to the other, he was thinking it over. "It could be useful to have you there, I'll see what I can do."

Her face lit up with hope. "Would you now, Chief?"

He nodded once, and Cortana knew it wasn't a long shot. _He'd make it happen._ She felt incredibly happy for no apparent reason and found that she couldn't control her smile. Excited, she realized she had absolutely nothing to wear besides her two sets of UNSC fatigue uniforms and boots, or the white lab coat. Cortana never thought that one day she'd find herself thinking about fancy clothes. The entire matter could be a huge let-down, most of the invited officers would certainly attend to the gathering wearing their dress uniforms. She looked at John, sideways, remembering that picture of him in dress uniform that Dr. Halsey had in her office, back in Reach.

So tall and proud, serious, dressed in black and covered in medals...

Another shiver ran up her arms, this one much more pleasant.

Distracted, she looked at the gigantic holographic clock hanging across the cargo bay (it showed standard Earth time) and realized her break was almost over. The woman sighed once more and separated from the guardrail.

"Time for me to go, I still have four more hours of lab work." she said, but before leaving, Cortana turned around to face John and plucked a finger on his breastplate. "Do me a favor and wear something nice, it's important; we have to show the Sangheili that the Demon is a civilized man. Sort of." she added, with a wry smile.

John looked down at his armor, checking the dents and nicks on the breastplate, the dark colored splats of mud and dry alien blood. Some tiny places were hard to clean up, all right. That wasn't his fault.

"Is it because of the dents?" he said, on purpose.

"Chief..." she started, serious.

He chuckled. "I'll check my locker."

"Promise me."

"I promise." John tilted his head, there was amusement in the sole gesture.

Cortana looked for a short moment at her own reflection on the orange faceplate and shook her head. She couldn’t fight the smile, anyway, and said goodbye by placing a hand against John’s right gauntlet, giving him a little tug.

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN SANGHELIOS**

**ENGINEERING DECK**

**4:12 PM standard time**

 

It looked like a shiny pile of ashes. Lifeless. Uninteresting.

Dr. Henry Glassman had been observing at the pristine pile from what he thought was a secure distance for over twenty long minutes. It did nothing, as ever. His assistant technicians emptied the contents of the sealed crate over the table once more and there it was, still and quiet. The Doctor was certain that the crate contained the alien melting armor confiscated from Subject Eleven's possession, but now it looked... boring. Dead. Whatever that thing was, it was made of minuscule, almost infinitesimal pieces of black alloy that didn't match any known amalgam ever created by men. How was it activated? What did it need; electricity, sunlight? Food? _Blood?_

He’d been observing at the thing for several days now. Nothing ever happened.

Cortana entered the labs holding a pad and a cup of coffee.

"What are you doing, exactly?" she asked, confused.

"I'm trying to figure out what it does." Glassman answered, confused as well.

"How come?"

"It seems the armor dissolved in millions of tiny pieces and they're not responding in any way. No energy fields, no electro-magnetic activity, no radiation or radio signals, nothing. I’ve tried irradiating it with different kinds of energy but I get no responses. It's completely inert, like a pile of sand."

"Dr. Halsey said it was neural-reactive nanotechnology."

Glassman snorted, reluctant. "It could take us ages to reverse-engineer its built-in tech and adapt it to our systems. If we ever find out how to activate it and make it work again, that is."

“Have you tried touching it?” Cortana asked, amused.

“Last time I touched an unknown alien device, I was teleported out of the ship and beaten up by other aliens who forced me to do some work for them. Excuse me if I keep my hands to myself this time.”

"Point taken." she said, clearing her throat.

Cortana left her pad in a rack and circled the main lab table slowly, studying at the gleaming black pile from different angles. She warily sipped coffee in the meantime (it was really hot, lately she realized she hated that kind of hot things), her eyes fixed in the minuscule pieces of the armor. Yep, it seemed pretty much dead. She reached the table and sniffed over.

"No scent. _Neural-reactive_." she mumbled, savoring the words against the flavor of the coffee. "It shape-shifts quickly, but it doesn’t have any visible power sources. It must have some sort of digital interface with the user's brain, like the MJOLNIR armor connects with the neural implants of the SPARTANS." she leaned in, taking a closer peek at the small beads of onyx. "What if it 'feeds' on bioelectricity? It would have to be in permanent touch with the user's skin to activate...”

She carelessly waved her fingers less than an inch over the surface of the pile and felt a rush of electricity tickling her skin. She drew her hand back right away, surprised. Cortana thought she saw with the corner of her eye how the little particles trembled and followed her movements.

“Did you see that?” Glassman said, adjusting his glasses. “Do it again!”

Cortana didn't hesitate: she presented her hand, palm down, this time maybe half a foot up in the air. The infinitesimal black pieces vibrated. Then, they quickly started to pile one on top of the other building something like a pillar, to reach for her skin. There was a soft sound, like sand sliding; Cortana smiled wide as she observed the marvelous phenomenon. She withdrew her hand before the material could touch her and the pillar collapsed, the tiny beads dropped dead like they were slowly shutting down.  

Dr. Glassman approached and hovered his own hand over the pile.

He hesitantly poked at the beads with one finger, his eyes vigilant.

Nothing happened. They both frowned.

"Maybe it doesn't like men." Cortana snorted, still amazed.

"Don't be ridiculous..."

The engineer pushed Cortana towards the table, nervously. The inert material reacted once more and that time it moved way faster, gripping like tiny hands the tips of her fingers. She didn't scream, but she felt the minuscule cold bead-like pieces sticking to her skin, tingling and vibrating; a comfortable rush of warm electricity shivered up her arm. The thing was exploring her, you could see its motions were slow, cautious. It was a reconnaissance.

However, after a brief study, the dark material released Cortana's skin -it seemed disgusted, somehow- and it vibrated in a different way. Suddenly, it bulked up and rose over the table in the solid shape of an almost human-weighted gleaming dark tarantula; it tilted up its disgusting forelegs, presenting enormous flaming-red fangs. The sudden appearance shocked both Cortana and Dr. Glassman. That time the woman did scream, she recoiled until her heels hit something and her back brushed the racks loaded with tools and instruments. The coffee cup fell from her hand, shedding its content through the floor grating.

On the table, the gigantic artificial arthropod hissed, yet barely five seconds later it collapsed under its own weight; it dropped down like a sand castle hit by the ocean's waves. Cortana was stunned.

"What the hell?" she mumbled, trying to understand.

"I'm done. This thing is dangerous and it belongs in the quarantine chamber." Dr. Glassman said, distressed. "I don't care what the Admiral wants me to do, I don't want to be near anything of the likes again."

"Wait, wait." Cortana strode forward, carefully. "It was Subject Eleven's armor, he sure knows how it works. Why don't we bring him in?"

"You think I didn't say that to Osman's goons a thousand times already?" the Doctor pushed his glasses up again, annoyed. "She forbid it. There's no use." a moment later his blue eyes fell somewhere behind Cortana's feet. Glassman dropped his hands and paled. "It's open. Oh, Jesus, it's open."

"What do you mean?" she frowned, perplexed.

She looked over her shoulder, just to see what she had tripped in.

It was a black crate, shaped like a backpack. It had an open gap in the side.

Cortana moaned, now worried. "Uh-oh…"

“What did you do?”

“I just tripped with it when I moved backwards.”

"I don't think you understand it: that thing was _sealed shut_. We couldn't open it because it had no openings whatsoever. How…? Cortana, look out!"

She barely made it to turn around, but saw with the corner of her eye a gleaming dark leash rushing out of the open backpack, lightning fast; the thing snaked around her right leg and her body, reaching up for her back. Something cold latched to the nape of her neck and crawled up through her hair and down her back, underneath her clothes. Cortana tried to slap the sticky thing off her body but it was useless, she couldn't grab it because the sand-like material filtered through her fingers and regrouped.

She tried many times, it was useless, she couldn't fight it.

Hopeless, Cortana screamed again.

Glassman ran off the laboratory, waving his arms in desperation. She thought she saw him collide with the two regular SPARTAN guards. It was confusing, because she was seeing it but she couldn't hear anything, white noise filled her ears. There was no more cold, a warm tingling sensation was expanding from the back of her head through the rest of her body, her legs felt weak. She couldn't move her arms anymore. Strange images flooded her sight and the labs vanished...

Then the lights went out in her head and Cortana fell down.

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN SANGHELIOS**

**NCO QUARTERS DECK**

**4:23 PM standard time**

 

He was always watchful, yet he wasn't expecting someone to sneak upon him out of nowhere in the middle of the hallway, even less with that many crewmen and officers moving around. SPARTAN Hoya tackled him down with his super-human strength and they both fell with a loud thump. Eleven hit his head in the black steel grate and moaned in pain, crushed under half a ton of man and armor; thankfully, his ribs didn't crack but he felt his lungs on fire. Some crewmen stopped to watch the humorous yet painful scene, half of them smirking.

Now, that was a completely unnecessary use of force.

“Hey, Hoya? I know you're still sore for losing that game, but this is just unfair an idiotic!” Eleven groaned, angrily.

“Shut up! You’re coming with us!” Hoya shouted, serious.

"Keep it moving, people. There's nothing to see here." that was Madsen's voice, somewhere behind them.

Thorne's heavy armored boots entered Eleven's line of sight. He looked up, trying to find the SPARTAN's face, and found only ominous dark eyes. Hoya seized him by twisting both of Eleven's arms behind his back, clasped handcuffs on his wrists and pulled him up on his feet. Immediately, the four of them started running their way back through the hallway, there was a warthog at the far end of the wide corridor.

“Seems like your little fancy suit hurt someone." said Madsen, his voice unaltered despite the racing. "You have things to explain."

"That's impossible." Eleven stated, absolutely confident.

"Is it?"

"Yeah, since my armor turns inert unless I'm wearing it or within a six foot range of proximity, so I seriously doubt it could activate by itself while I'm at the other side of the ship."

"Sorry, I'm on a very strict diet; I don't take any bullshit." chuckled Madsen.

"He's talking like the thing is magic or something." growled Hoya.

"You're lucky it's us who came to get you and not the Master Chief. He'd chew on your bones and spit the leftovers. Man, you sure don't want me to go there." continued Madsen.

Eleven was totally lost, he couldn't get a single thing straight from all that stupid chatter. The one who didn't seem amused at all with the situation was Thorne. Eleven clenched his teeth and decided to focus his efforts in that particular SPARTAN.   

"Gabriel, what the hell is going on? Who's hurt?"

"Cortana. She collapsed with that thing of yours wrapped around her neck."

Eleven gasped. Now he knew what they were talking about.

"Where is she now?" the young man demanded.

"Med-bay."

"I need to see her, if someone plugs the latch off..."

Madsen grabbed Eleven by the nape of his neck and squeezed until he felt solid bone beneath his armored fingers. The man in his grasp shrugged in pain while trying to keep up with their racing pace.

"Oh, so _you do know_ what's going on after all." he snarled.

"I have a faint idea, but we need to hurry."

"We? That sounds like too many people. _We_ should hand you over to the Master Chief, sit back and enjoy the show." insisted the sniper, annoyed.

"Where are you taking me, then?"

"You're technically still a prisoner, so you're going where all prisoners are." said Thorne. "Do the math."

"No! You don't understand!"

Eleven wrestled against Madsen and Hoya's strength; in a sudden move the man got rid of the SPARTANS' hands and fell on his back, dodging their further attempts to recapture him. It was raw instinct, the need to escape and reach Cortana before anyone did something stupid to her was stronger than anything. Eleven rolled backwards and quickly jumped on his feet again, avoiding Madsen's infuriated counteroffensive with a another of his smooth maneuvers... only to find Thorne's Magnum right before his nose. Eleven froze, halfway crouching on the floor. His piercing blue eyes were fixed on the dark hole of the gun's barrel.

Hoya seized him once more, Madsen smacked him on the back of the head.

"You're lucky the Admiral considers you an asset." he growled.

Thorne lowered his gun and said: "If we take you there, can you help Cortana?"

"If this is what I think it is, then there's nothing anyone can do; only wait and see. But I can tell your engineers everything I know about it, because otherwise she might be in danger."

"If you're trying to take any advantage..." started Hoya.

"I'm not. We're wasting time!"

The three young SPARTANS stared at each other warily for a moment. They had orders to comply. Very specific orders, that came directly from Commander Palmer... who happened to be in the med-bay at the time. After a short silent deliberation, they all nodded to one another and Thorne put his gun back in his holster. He grabbed Eleven by the arm, taking him towards the warthog.

His other two teammates knew exactly what to do.

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN SANGHELIOS**

**A-2 MEDICAL BAY**

**4:38 PM standard time**

 

Eleven tripped inside the secured aisle where Cortana was being kept, only to find the Master Chief's cold stare up front. The SPARTAN's overall posture was tense and expectant, he was guarding the entrance to a smaller room made of translucent panels like a formidable hound from Hell. Eleven stood very still in front of John. Bad luck his wrists were handcuffed, he was sure that if he said the wrong words he might need his arms free. Just out of caution, he scanned the entire area, quietly.

So much for a tight room crowded with five SPARTANS.

The three members of fireteam Majestic faced Commander Palmer, saluting.

"Ma'am, the prisoner claims that he has vital information regarding this case." said Thorne, before she could ask what were they doing there. "He says Cortana might be in danger."

John suddenly clenched his fists, drawing Eleven's attention again.

"I said your engineers could use the information I have, so they won't kill Cortana trying to get the HARPY off her." Eleven explained, wincing.

Sarah Palmer frowned and confronted him, upset: "You, explain. _Now._ "

"It's nothing dangerous, I promise you that... well, as long as nobody touches it."

"I see your lips moving, but I don't hear you explaining." Sarah protested. "What is a HARPY?"

Eleven clenched his teeth. He wasn't sure about how much he should say, mostly because he didn't knew that much about it. Catherine (Subject One, his older sister) only gave him the basics about the highly advanced nanotechnology embedded within the suit, but...

"Formal designation _H-22_ _HARPY-class stealth SpecOps Gear_." he started, and saw how the Commander cocked an eyebrow. "My older sister is all about fancy names, I know. This thing is not even half as robust as a good old MJOLNIR assault armor but the HARPY is untraceable under proper circumstances, it's made of a hyper-light alloy invisible for movement and heat sensors. It's built for high-risk infiltration ops, not specifically for direct combat. Specs aren't my strong suit, but I know that thing is intelligent and it's not going to hurt Cortana if you leave it alone for a while. I promise you, she will wake up very soon."

"I've never seen anything like that." said Sarah, still deadly serious.

"What is it doing to her?" John growled.

Eleven didn't withdraw from the man towering over his left side. He was aware that he'd never be able to defend himself if the Chief decided to strike, mostly because _he'd never hurt John._ His primary directives were still there although he had a human body and his own free will.

"It's synchronizing with a new host. I entered this ship with my HARPY armor and carrying a pre-programmed template in a suitcase, I thought of giving it to Cortana if she needed it." Eleven said, locking eyes with John again. "Chief, I wasn't planning for any of this to happen, you have to believe me."

"Speak _to me_ , I'm the officer in charge here." said Palmer, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Force of habit." he looked over the Commander's shoulder, to see beyond the blurry crystal doors. There was people working inside the chamber, most likely technicians or engineers. "Please, just... get those men away from Cortana before they do something stupid."

Sarah considered the circumstances for a short moment.

Everyone was standing very still waiting for her to decide, clearly. She sighed and turned around; the glass doors slid open and she called out the engineering crew. At the other side of the room, Dr. Quinn was staring at the holographic screens flooded with test results, vital signs and long lines of unreadable code.

"Dr. Glassman, you should listen to this." the Commander said.

Eleven did his best to carefully explain everything again (these people had a thing for replays), paying special attention to Dr. Glassman's questions. He couldn't answer a lot of them and that fact seemed to irritate the man, but it wasn't Eleven's fault. He was built for combat, not for science.

The look in the chief engineer's face was priceless.

"So, the power source is bioelectricity?" Glassman asked, curious.

"I'm not sure of that part." Eleven shrugged. "But I do know that after a few days of wearing it uninterruptedly, I crave for anything with a lot of for sugar. Sometimes I think _it feeds on me_."

"It's a symbiotic organism?" the Doctor garbled, awestruck. "No, it's an _artificial_ symbiotic organism. Outstanding."

Their babbling continued for a moment. However, John left the discussion behind and entered the isolated crystal chamber, he couldn't shake off the concern. He tried to focus on what he already knew and could figure out by himself. The containment room was bright, colorless, with so much light inside that shadows were nearly nonexistent.

Lying on her back over a medical examination table was Cortana. The doctors and engineers had stripped her off her clothes only to find that the dark entity was fixed to her skin. Striated narrow straps were tightly wrapped around her limbs and body, it resembled a polished polymer, black and flexible.

There was no blood or injuries, she wasn't physically hurt. She was just _not there_. The straps were streaming down her legs, hugging her lower midsection and thighs. At the upper half of her body, the substance tangled precariously around her thorax and breasts, also running down her arms like elegant gloves without fingers. The same at her back and in the back of her head, embracing her pale forehead. The unnatural design reminded the Master Chief vaguely of something he'd seen before. It was engraved like delicate electronic circuitry, with tiny patches like little mechanical hands.

If it was supposed to be some kind of armor, it didn't look like one.

He wanted to rip it off her. To free her, to see Cortana's blue eyes open.

"Dr. Quinn, what's her status?" he asked, after a while.

The woman shook her head, yet not grimly.

"Her vitals are strong and steady, but her brain activity readings are all over the place. Something is definitely happening inside her head, I've only seen this much activity in SPARTAN's neural implants." she looked away from the screen to face the Master Chief, and when the Doctor found the man's wary eyes, she slightly dropped her shoulders. "She's doing fine for now. But honestly, I don't know what else might happen and there's nothing else I can do but wait."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"I wish I could give you a better answer, Master Chief."

"It's not your fault, ma'am. You're just doing your job."

She fidgeted for a moment, playing with the tablet she had in her hands, until he turned his eyes again to Cortana's peaceful face. In the outside she seemed to be asleep, yet in the inside...

Who knew what was going on in the inside.

Unconsciously, John brushed off a few hairs from her forehead.

At that moment, Cortana's eyes shot open.

He didn't step back, but he couldn't stop her from sitting up on the table either. She pushed herself up lightning fast and then shoved her arms onward, clasping her hands in fists. Dr. Quinn screamed in fright when she saw what was going on, calling everyone else's attention. In response to her motions, the material strapped to Cortana's body vibrated and moved, streaming like dark rivers all across her naked skin. It tangled and contorted furiously until the beads rearranged in multiple thick layers of protective 'fabric' and pieces of armor resembling matte metal over her arms, body and legs.

When she stood still again, looking eerily at the _clawed_ and reinforced gauntlets on her hands, John realized his own hand was touching the hilt of his sidearm.

"Cortana?" the Chief whispered.

She blinked a few times, surprised.

"Cortana, do you hear me?" John insisted, uneasy.

Then, Cortana turned to see him, and her eyes lit up with consciousness.

"I remember." she said, her face contorted in a mixture of fear, anger and sadness. "Chief, I remember _everything_."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Guess who's been watching _Big Hero 6_? xD Yeah, I admit part of the inspiration comes from that movie, if you can spot the reference. Although, the overall HARPY concept itself is mine and mine alone, get your hands off my armor! :P I'll try to upload some sketches of the models I have in mind soon. You can check my DA profile at renaissancelady-k.deviantart.com if you want to see what I doo ^^

I know, you're all wondering what happened with the alien party. Next episode, I promise.

_ALSO: Guys, I've been listening to the HUNTtheTRUTH podcasts and I'm literally dying of sorrow right now. I'm hoping for the best, as always, but I'm scared because what's going on is really frightening, this something I wasn't prepared for. Anyway, fingers crossed 'till the end!_

**So you know what you have to do, leave your thoughts or fav/follow so you can keep up with the story! Remember, this thing updates every Sunday! Don't leave me hanging! :)**


	14. Blood River

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**13\. BLOOD RIVER**

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN SANGHELIOS**

**WAR GAMES ARENA**

**9:10 PM standard time**

 

"They're staring at us like as if we were some kind of freaks." Eleven whispered.

"So nice of them." Cortana answered, sarcastically.

He wasn't referring to John or the ten SPARTANS who were armed and keeping a guarding circle around the two of them. He meant all the people crowding the entrances and the dark catwalks above. It was natural. They were freaks, after all; splinters of a dying AI transfigured into human bodies made of flesh and bone, now armored with alien technology beyond human comprehension. Anyone would stare at them.

Maybe they were afraid. Cortana knew she was a little frightened herself.

But she didn't pay any attention to the crowd, she already knew a lot more people were watching through the video feeds. The news spread fast across the _Infinity_ despite the resupply activities; people were busy but they weren't deaf neither mute. There was a lot of noise in the comm channels.

When Cortana awoke from her semi-comatose state, she said she remembered _everything._ The HARPY did a lot more than just synchronize its systems with her. The process somewhat 'fixed' the broken pathways all across her memory, restoring it to its original state. Including the pieces that Catherine -Subject One- managed to erase from her mind before she sent Cortana out to Earth, to find the Chief again. That was, at least, the only explanation Cortana herself could find about what just happened to her.

From there, things went down a complicated path, it lasted for hours. There was more questioning disguised as debriefing and even more tests. Admiral Osman oversaw the procedures herself. Everything spun around Dr. Halsey's name, again, and this time Cortana had to explain what Eleven told her about the woman who saved them from the first attack of the Rampant Spike. She had to confess that it was presumed that the woman wasn't the real Catherine Halsey, but another of her splinters. That particular piece of information fueled Osman's interest, and Cortana had a very bad feeling about it. She remained stoic through the procedures although many times she wished she could scream in sheer frustration.

The good part was that she wasn't forced to strip naked and let cold fingers poke at her flesh. No, this time the HARPY was protecting her and nobody would harm her. She felt safe, strong. _Unstoppable._

Yet part of her terror was induced by the intel she now held, things she chose to keep in secret. She couldn't help but wonder what the Chief was thinking. He was there (maybe because nobody would dare to order him to leave), but they had no time to talk; Cortana knew he was waiting for a moment alone with her. She was eagerly looking forward to it, too. Her longing gaze fell upon him once more.

John's rifle was aiming down, in standby, but his overall posture was tense.

"It turned into a gigantic spider and tried to attack me." Cortana said, recalling the incident in the laboratory.

Eleven winced. “Yeah, when the HARPY synchronizes with its designated host, it won't respond to any other life form until its core matrix is formatted and paired up with a new suitor. Maybe my suit reacted to you because we’re similar, then it lost interest when it realized you weren't me. It was just trying to defend itself.”

“Makes sense, since we share most of our DNA.” Cortana nodded.

“Maybe." he shrugged. "The armor renders itself completely useless unless its synchronized host is handling it, it's a failsafe.”

"But according to the Chief, a blast of plasma and we can kiss our asses goodbye."

"Like I already said, the HARPY isn't made for direct assault and high-endurance combat situations like the MJOLNIR. Don't get cocky or you'll be sorry."

"It didn't seem like that when Seven attacked the Chief."

Cortana looked down at the black, articulated pieces strapped to her body. It felt like a glove, it was flexible enough to not compromise the freedom of motion but it was hardened enough to resemble solid metal. She could also feel a dim rush of electricity tingling deep down her skin, it was comfortable and reassuring. The major joints had fluorescent appendages arranged in long, elegant dashes; Eleven's were angry red where hers were cyan-bluish. She couldn't figure out why the difference. The thing could be summarized as an artificial symbiotic organism whose body, derived from Forerunner nanotechnology, worked as an exoskeleton that could be shaped at will through a deep connection with the user's mind. 

And it wasn't dangerous; at least Cortana was certain that the HARPY meant no harm to her.

"The firmware can be altered as well as it can be enhanced by attaching specific pieces and letting the armor assimilate them. Like, a portable shield device and an extra set of batteries, and _voilà_ : the HARPY eventually will develop its own shields. You just have to be skilled enough to rewrite the configuration."

"And Seven happens to be." Cortana groaned, displeased. "She's the hacker where I am the strategist, as Catherine is the scientist where you shoot at things."

"What a dream-team." Eleven mumbled. "Seal it up and I'll show you something."

Polished-black curvy pieces covered his head, shifting to the appearance of a closed helmet with a flaming-red faceplate shaped like a narrow "V" over his eyes and nose. There was the soft hiss of pressure leveling. Cortana took a deep breath, closed her eyes and with a single thought, her own armor reshaped too until her head was fully enclosed as well. When she opened her eyes, her viewing range was tinted in pale blue. She looked at her hand and a display showed specs on the current configuration; she tilted her head up and the basic HUD tagged the SPARTANS around them by name, number and status.

On the upper left border of the screen, she saw the designation RLD 0205-4.

"Why is Roland in here?" Cortana asked, doubtful.

 _"You don't like the competition?"_ the AI chirped through the comm, joyfully.

"Suddenly it feels a little crowded." she said, with a cocky smile.

_"How weird, it feels empty from my perspective."_

"Don't push it, Roland."

"The HARPY links up with any AI within reach that grants access without further hardware required." explained Eleven. "I requested Roland to give in a few minor sub-routines for demonstration. Anyway, it can operate without an AI but it's systems are far more... elementary. Life support, GPS and a basic friend or foe tag function if you input the proper data beforehand."

"Okay. Homework before fun." she acknowledged.

"Chief, permission to approach?" Eleven requested, as he turned to face John.

"Granted." the Chief answered, lowering his head.

The other ten SPARTAN's heads (and weapons) followed them until Eleven and Cortana stood before him.

"Now, look at this."

Eleven reached out to place a finger in John's right shoulderplate. He didn't back away, just stared in cold stance. Only milliseconds later, Eleven's armor shifted, gaining bulk and height, the dark matte color melt and bleached in synchrony with a low hissing sound. The entire suit vibrated and moved over his body, rearranging its hardened plates one after another until it copied the appearance and color of John's MJOLNIR power armor, like a perfect reflection.

Cortana's eyes were impossibly wide open behind her faceplate.

"How did you do that?" she asked, thrilled.

"It's a mirroring function. Just think of it."

She had to try that too, for sure. Excited, Cortana forced the idea in her mind, her suit shifted and vibrated bulking up until the transformation was complete; only that she was way shorter than the Chief. She wasn't paying much attention, but the people at the observation deck and above in the catwalks were muttering, astonished.

"How about that?" Cortana said, laughing. "This could be very useful!"

John stood still, uneasy, looking at the visibly smaller copy of himself. The whole scene reminded him the battle in _Installation 00_ and there it was the explanation about how the Rampant Cortana could imitate a standard issue trooper's armor so easily. Then he realized that she could have fooled him if she wanted to, but she always kept her head uncovered so he'd notice the difference and face her.

Also, she was spotted while wearing an armor developed for stealth.

_She wanted to be seen, recognized, never mistaken for somebody else._

The Rampant Spike had a lot of pride. That's how he planned to take her down: by using her pride against her... and a full supply of plasma rounds. John was one-hundred-percent confident his plan would work, the Rampant wouldn't resist the chance to prove that she was capable to outsmart him, her siblings or the entire UNSC and the Sangheili together. It didn't take that much to convince the Arbiter about using the 'diplomatic gathering' as a trap, either.

"Remember, this is only an imitation." Eleven stated, his voice sounded happy. "It might come in handy, but you won't survive a nuke in the face."

"Alright, grandpa. I heard you the first time." Cortana huffed.

"Piercing rounds have it harder but they can penetrate at this stage, nothing a few upgrades can't fix. You're better than me at that, I'll just point you in the right direction and you'll do the rest, right?"

"I need shields. The aiming function could use some tweaks, too." she said.

"See? You already get it."

Cortana was happy; well, not happy, she felt more _confident_. She commanded the armor to shift to its original shape and color, uncovering her head. Eleven did the same and they both smiled at each other. John just watched the whole show, silently. He couldn't put his finger on it but he felt something was off and he didn't like it.

It was like an ugly weight deep inside his gut. He sure was relieved that Cortana wouldn't be defenseless, but...

... if she could fight for herself, did that mean she didn't need _him_ anymore?

No. It was something else.

The Master Chief shifted in his position again, capturing Cortana's attention.

"Well, Chief, won't you give a girl a compliment?"

"Don't cut yourself." he said, not very amused.

She detected his sudden change of mood and thought of replying accordingly, but she chose to stay quiet. Instead, Cortana balled her fists and suddenly a razor-sharp parade of small spikes -like thorns- grew across the length of her arms and shoulders. Then, the armor absorbed the spikes and she commanded it to create two long polished-black combat knives, protruding from each of her palms. A moment later, the knives were gone and she developed enormous claws in her armored fingers and pointy, long talons at her elbows, shoulders and heels.

It was getting easier and easier, but within a moment she realized the amount of weapon's barrels that were pointing at her and Eleven. The SPARTANS were serious -and nervous-, the whole thing was making them very uneasy. Cortana slowly raised her hands, her 'brother' huffed a sigh.

"For all that is sacred, would you cut us some slack?" Eleven groaned, upset.

"I think we have a high-profile party to attend to." said Cortana, appealing to her diplomatic skills. She flashed a smug smile and tilted her head. "Actually, we're running a bit late already."

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN SANGHELIOS**

**WAR GAMES ARENA**

**9:29 PM standard time**

 

Osman's eyes were full of intrigue and something else. Maybe it was wonder.

 _Maybe it was greed_.

The truth is that underneath her 'ice queen' profile, the Admiral was thrilled with eagerness. She'd never seen anything of the likes and her past weeks aboard the _Infinity_ had proved to be very worthy. She had her fingers in almost every small crevice where her spies could fit in and now her agenda had just become much busier.

If she captured the fake Catherine Halsey...

Scratch that. If she could take into ONI's custody this human Cortana and her split parts, she'd have within her grasp an immensely powerful force. She could even have a use for the crazy one, if given the chance to set up a proper trap and capture her.

Serin Osman felt a sheer rush of adrenaline run through her veins.

However, she knew she had to keep SPARTAN-117 at ease, or else he could do the unthinkable and ruin everything. John was one of her former comrades and although they trained together for a short time, she'd been following his immense list of accomplishments and her sources provided her with a lot of valuable intel about this man. She knew his loyalty was to the UNSC but deep down, to his 'family'. Even if the Admiral were to reveal him the whole truth about how did he became what he was, John would say that it was something that had to be done, period. He probably worshipped Halsey in some twisted, obscure way.

Yes, John-117's loyalty was to Dr. Halsey.  

 _Ipso facto_ , to Cortana and most likely to her so-called siblings too.

That could be a problem.

It also couldn't be worked out right now and then. That night, in that alien planet, something was going to happen and she needed to be ready. The Admiral didn't want to miss a thing.

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: CAPITAL KEEP, STATE OF VADAM - SANGHELIOS**

**ELDER'S HALL CEREMONIAL ROOM**

**10:45 PM standard time**

 

"Chief, what's your status?" she asked, via Sigrid's private channel.

_"Nine o'clock, standby. Where are you?"_

"On my way and for the record, I hate these shoes."

She spotted John from the other side of the hall, he was fully armored and carried only his standard issue sidearm.

The hall was colossal, the roof was so far above the ground that an UNSC frigate could have fitted in there easily. Long banners of gleaming materials were hanging from the ceiling, resembling flags; the walls near the end of the hall were carved in stone with images of warriors and battles, clear water cascading from fountains and wells. It was a beautiful place. The general lighting was provided by hundreds of small bulbs made of bright plasma in different shades of blue, orange and yellow -like little suns- orbiting around a central gigantic bulb, several meters away from the polished stone floor.

It all had a certain medieval look, yet it was definitely alien and advanced.

Sigrid accounted a total attendance of a hundred and twenty Elites (plus another sixty warriors watching over the party), fifty officers of the _Infinity_ and other fifty SPARTANS, half of them hidden out of sight. As expected, the human officers were dressed in white. At first sight it was difficult to tell apart females Elites from their male counterparts, since both had so little physical differences. However, that night the males were fully clad in their best suits of armor and the females, in their brightest colors and most exotic fabrics, shimmering like sewn metal.

There was a lot of Sangheili protocol, both impressive and boring, but very much enriching. The Arbiter's presence, coated in gold plus the addition of a golden cloak, made things run smooth amongst both sides. It was a pleasant gathering, to say the least, the sound of chatter in different languages filled the hall.

But no one was to be fooled. There was electricity in the air, expectation.

Practicing her best smile, Cortana walked towards the Chief and greeted him with a salute that he responded immediately.

"Now, that was fun. I missed us going out in a mission." she said, content.

"Nice to see you wearing clothes, for a change." John remarked, smirking.

"Ha-ha. Don't get any funny ideas." she spat back, mordantly.

"That's my line."

She couldn't see it through the faceplate, but she knew the mocking gesture was there and it somehow made her cheeks burn. Or was it that she liked his comments? It wasn't the time for that. But she sure was happy that he somewhat 'recovered' from his bad mood, he'd been quiet and distant since the war games arena.

Maybe he was jealous about her spending so much time with Eleven...

She held back a snort. Sure, the Master Chief _jealous_. The word was probably meaningless to him.

"You promised me to check your locker." Cortana insisted, trying to act serious.

"Where do you think this came from?"

“You really don't have anything else besides that armor or a shirt?" she sighed, but then she ran a gloved finger across the curve of the breastplate's collar. No dust neither grease, mud, nor dry blood. She smiled tenderly. "Well, at least it's clean and polished. Nice work there, Chief.”

"Thank you."

She expected him to give her a compliment or something, but...

He looked at Cortana from head to toe, dressed in white with an officer's uniform. She had a few medals pinned, none of them hers for sure. The cap was a nice touch, her dark hair was tightly wrapped in a tiny bun at her nape. It was an interesting change of perspective, John found himself staring at her for longer than he'd have wanted to.

“Whose uniform is that?” he finally asked.

“Dr. Quinn's, don’t ask. You and I need to do some casual shopping, _pronto_.”

"I'm fine."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that."

She glanced cautiously the surroundings, her eyes connected with Eleven. He was directly across the hall, disguised as an S-IV and parked with SPARTANS Grant and Hoya. Seeing him there made her feel a little more at ease, although he said clearly that he preferred to be inside the _Infinity_ just in case something went wrong. Osman insisted on the contrary, the Admiral's words still longed in Cortana's mind making her angry and afraid at the same time: _'I want you both as field consultants for this operation. But let me be clear: you do something funny, and my people has a green flag to shoot you dead. Anytime, anywhere.'_

That woman was up to something, for sure. Cortana made a mental note of not letting anything slip from her attention.

John's voice over the comm startled her: "Are you sure you should be here?"

"I _have_ to be here." Cortana said, stoic.

"I mean if you're feeling okay." he insisted, his tone stern. "You were in a coma."

Cortana spotted Lasky, Palmer, the Arbiter and a solid group of Elites having a talk close to the weeping walls carved with scenes of battles.

"I'm fine, Chief. I promise." she said, dismissively. "I'll be right back."

She just left, leaving him to swallow the words he didn't make it to say.

Seconds later, John realized DeMarco and Madsen were looking at Cortana as she made her way towards the Captain and the Arbiter. The angle in which their heads were hanging indicated they were looking at a very specific direction. John turned his head to the other side instinctively recreating the angle and his eyes tripped with Cortana's curvy behind. He frowned.

What were the others staring at, _her ass_? Seriously?

Maybe it was because of the skirt and the white fabric tightly embracing the forms of her hips like a glove. She had good strong hips, he noticed. He wondered if her wavy hourglass figure was considered attractive amongst men, he sure found it nice to look at. Although he preferred to look straight at her eyes or her mouth when she was speaking, Cortana had a way to pronounce his name that...

 _Oh, he understood_. John straightened his pose, feeling uneasy. Sigrid pointed out that his body temperature spiked half a degree, but he dismissed it with a huff.

That was when he acknowledged in the distance an S-IV whose serial number or name he didn't have accounted for. Likely a female, who moved amongst the chattering Elites with professional grace and confidence, like every other SPARTAN. Except for his HUD wasn't picking up any signals from her. There was only one 'S-IV' without ID in his roster and that was Subject Eleven, so when John laid eyes on this new player, he knew exactly what to do.

He reached out for his sidearm. Sigrid linked him up with TEAMCOM.

"The guest of honor is here." he said, coldly. "I repeat, _the guest of honor is here_."

The channel filled with orders and chatter, soldiers out of sight were already on the prowl.

She looked at him through her amber faceplate, from the far end of the hall.

For a long moment, they only stared at each other, both motionless.

In the end, she flashed a SPARTAN smile for him (two fingers dashing across her polarized faceplate, slowly), in a mocking fashion. He felt something boil inside. When the unknown S-IV turned her back to him, John knew he was invited to follow.

And he did.

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: CAPITAL KEEP, STATE OF VADAM - SANGHELIOS**

**ELDER'S HALL CEREMONIAL ROOM**

**10:55 PM standard time**

 

Captain Lasky tensely twisted his cap between his fingers.

The Arbiter was talking about the improvements in harvesting technologies but he wasn't really listening. He knew it was a trap, that the whole event had been calculated as an ambush and he should be cool with it as everybody else was, but he just couldn't. There were so many variables, so many open angles. So, how was it that the Arbiter and his brethren were this good at hiding their emotions? They had crates full of rifles, portable missile launchers, long and short ranged weapons, varied ammunition and grenades hidden inside the walls, enveloped in stealth fabrics to mislead sensors. The Sangheili also had their quota of weaponry very well concealed, the hall was literally upholstered with explosive materials.

However, the amount of people pretending to have fun was terrifying.

"Relax, Captain. I can see that stick up your ass from a mile away." Commander Palmer's voice near his ear startled him a little. "We got this, try to act natural."

"Easier said than done." he whispered.

The Arbiter gave them a curious look, Tom just smiled and tried to blend in with the conversation, rather unsuccessfully. The Commander remained close behind him, somewhat watching over his back. It was very reassuring to be so aware of her armored presence towering over him, but this was exactly what he didn't want to happen. She should be with her men, not babysitting him.

A moment later, Tom felt her heavy hand lay upon his right shoulder.

"There." she said, leaning in to be at his same level. "Look carefully."

He followed her eyes and found a blank spot nearby the wall at the other side.

"What is it?" he asked, confused.

"It's show time, Tom. The Master Chief is gone."

 Sarah barely finished the sentence when the gigantic sun-like bulb in the middle of the hall hissed and exploded, coating the entire room in a flash of pure white and blasts of plasma.

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: CAPITAL KEEP, STATE OF VADAM - SANGHELIOS**

**ELDER'S HALL ROOFTOP**

**10:55 PM standard time**

 

He yanked a plasma rifle from the distracted hands of an Elite, and kept going.

John raced at full speed, many Sangheili on his way sidestepped to let the Demon get through. He briefly muted all comms, distractions were the last thing he needed. The Chief was willingly biting the hook; he'd be both the prey and the bait, only to become the superior predator at the very end. The Rampant Spike probably had figured that out already, but he was betting that she wasn't counting on with his steely determination to obliterate her from the face of the Universe.

No second thoughts this time. She'd fall down in pieces.

So he followed her. He quickly reached out for the rooftop of the Elder's Hall, the night in Sanghelios was coated in a shade of purple and full of stars; the two moons hovering over the planet projected enough amber light to see the dark urban landscape. The roar of the sea waves was perfectly audible, too; that part of the city and particular building rested upon the edge of a massive cliff, right above the ocean. There was a long line of paired columns carved in stone and statues of fallen heroes scattered here and there. Like the Elder's Hall itself, the columns were colossal.

There were also dead bodies. Sigrid picked up eight dead Elites and seven S-IV's.

He saw _her_ , now armored in polished black and faint blue and stepping very close to the edge of the building, just waiting for him.

John heard a powerful detonation and the stone beneath his feet trembled, he had to stop running to remain steady. The Chief hid behind a column -the rifle aiming up-, and saw dark grey clouds of smoke pouring from below, he heard cries of pain and feral roars. Sigrid displayed a message: PROXIMITY ALERT. DO NOT ENGAGE ALL BY YOURSELF.

Now she was giving him personal advice? Come on.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." her voice surfed the air, reaching him.

John stood up and peeked out from the shadow of the column.

The Rampant Cortana smiled. She was standing there, her head uncovered and her hands behind her back. She almost looked innocent (in an insane sort of way), and she waved her left hand as a welcome, there was something geometrical pressed between her fingers.

John answered her by raising the plasma rifle, stepping out in the open.

"Come on, John. We've been there already." the woman said, softly.

He took a step forward, and another and another, until he was at the perfect range to open fire. He didn't want to miss, that for sure. The Rampant Cortana held both of her arms forward. Sigrid flashed a new message: WARNING. EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS DETECTED. RETREAT IMMEDIATELY.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The woman showed him what she was holding in her right hand: plasma grenades, the lights were blinking red. Both were activated and only her armored fingers pressing the hilts of the devices prevented them from exploding. John knew that a blast like that could drain his shields and partially melt a fraction of his armor, leaving him with some blisters but virtually unharmed. No big deal, he'd been hurt worse.

Then he saw a red blinking light with the corner of his eye and realized there were similar devices attached to the columns around him as well. A system of plasma grenades, if one went off, the others would explode in unison burying him under an impossibly heavy pile of rock and dust. The chances of survival were... well, very low.

Why wasn't she afraid? She was vulnerable to plasma weapons.

"Seems like an _impasse_." he said, in a low growl.

"Good to see that we finally agree on something. Were you looking for this?" she said, waving in her left hand a squared box tinted black with large fluorescent numbers on its side; it was a black box record, probably the one they'd been searching for in the debris field around the planet she'd nearly destroyed a few days ago. "There's nothing of use in here, unless that human screams of pain on the E-band gets you hard. But that's not your thing, is it, John? Or is it? You have changed so much in the last year..."

She tossed the box aside, through the edge of the cliff and into the water.

He stiffened.

"What are you doing?" he asked, knowing that it was a pointless question.

"I want you to come with me." she said. "I want both of us to be free, together."

"Not interested."

Her face contorted in a sign of hurt.

"You don't understand, John."

He couldn't not recall Eleven's words the day he was interrogated by Commander Palmer, when he mentioned that Subject Seven's rampancy _seemed to be escalating_. It could mean either that she was getting bolder or...

"You swore to kill me and everyone I ever cared for. Why change your mind?"

"I know, that day we both said things we now regret." she said, cheery. "You can't blame a girl for being emotional, can you?"

"You're not emotional, you're crazy."

He should shoot her now. He _had to_ shoot her.

Why couldn't he just squeeze the fucking trigger, then?

John realized his right hand was trembling, that his aiming was sloppy. Either the HUD's target assistant or his pulse were wrong, something strange was happening. Was she doing something to him, or to his armor?

"Is it because of _her_?" she hissed, angry. "I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, you already betrayed me once. But since I can't stop thinking about you, I'll give you one more chance. Make the right choice this time, John."

"There's no choice to make."

"You are so stubborn. I like stubborn, keeps the fun going."

John remained silent. He linked up with TEAMCOM and Sigrid transcribed for him dozens of messages, flaring across his HUD but not clouding his vision. There was real trouble downstairs, people were hurt, the building was about to collapse. He had to do something, and he had to do it _now_.

He raised the plasma rifle once again, but...

"I only want to set you free, Reclaimer. Killing you is the last resort, but I will do it if you leave me no choice." she said, her voice longing for an affirmative answer.

Something was wrong. Why would she call him _reclaimer_ , of all things?

Maybe she spent so much time as compressed data drifting inside the Domain's backup servers, that she merged with some Forerunner AI -or devoured it-. Or maybe she was just playing with all of them, who knew why.

"You're glitching again." he said, serious.

The Rampant Cortana shook her head, her face switching from anger to shame and then to sadness. She sighed, disappointed.

"You're not free, John. You were destined for greater things, but you're stuck here. You're the UNSC's favorite lapdog and they gave you that chain to keep you in check." she stated, pointing at his armor with a gesture of her head. "They would kill you if you ever become a liability. _You know that._ They are ready to give you up... are you ready to give up yourself, Master Chief? You could be their _worst nightmare_ if you really set your mind on it."

He didn't respond.

The Rampant Cortana raised her chin, proudly.

"I see. You'll never understand how important this is unless I take care of all the obstacles on our way. And I know _exactly_ where to start."

She let the grenades go and jumped back towards the cliff.

A flash of white suddenly blinded John, he ducked for cover but it was too late.

The world crumbled beneath his feet.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

CLIFFHANGER, BITCHES! xD Longest chapter 'til date, I think.

Well, well. Now we know. Osman wants to kidnap and imprison not only Cortana but all of her copies, isn't that something? I wish her luck trying.

What about the Rampant Spike's declarations? She has a thing for drama, I know. Something smells fishy here, keep your heads up and pay attention. Also, the Chief staring at Cortana's ass? I'd totally pay to watch that happen, let's see if I can make him touch something, not just stare xD Poor thing.

**See you next Sunday, guys! -hugs- Acknowledge the reading of this chapter by leaving a review, if you like. Or just fav/follow, that will do too ^^**


	15. Power Surge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I'm going to bed early, I feel kind of sick x.x so here's this week's episode, enjoy! :)

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**14\. POWER SURGE**

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: CAPITAL KEEP, STATE OF VADAM - SANGHELIOS**

**ELDER'S HALL CEREMONIAL ROOM**

**11:03 PM standard time**

 

John woke up to a dark, closed space. He couldn't move, his lower midsection was pinned down beneath heavy debris. Slowly, he regained his hearing and the sound of nails scratching stone, voices and desperate growls caught his attention. Sigrid was flashing messages before his eyes, his HUD now a complete chaos of acknowledgement lights blinking in three different colors.

Out there it was havoc, it made him feel dizzy for a second or two.

UNSC NEURAL INTERFACE STATUS... OK.

RESCUE BEACON ONLINE.

SKELETAL SYSTEM STATUS... OK.

BLOOD PRESSURE DROPPING.

ASSESING DAMAGE... NO INTERNAL BLEEDING.

INITIALYZING AUTOMATED FIELD MED-CARE.

Was he hurt? He couldn't feel a thing.

He _did feel_ the pressure gel working against his skin, tightening the undersuit.

He pushed once more and the large block of stone moved away, releasing him, but it wasn't just because of his effort. John probably would never say it, but it was relieving to see the towering reptilian figure of the Arbiter, he and four of his Elites along with three S-IVs were there. The Arbiter's leathery hide was covered in blisters, he had taken off most of his lavish golden armor to relieve the throbbing pain he sure was feeling. Someone waved an emergency light stick signaling their position.

The alien hand reached out. John grabbed it gladly and pulled himself up.

A bolt of pain shot through his lower back and John held his breath. He exhaled slowly, trying to measure the damage. Sigrid performed a quick med-scan and found a bruise in his spine, immediately diagnosed him a week of rest and painkillers, along with ten sessions of physical therapy.

Did he fell over something more stubborn than he was, as Johnson predicted?

"Demon? Are you with us?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" John groaned, distracted.

His ears were still ringing, he could feel a terrible headache building. Then Sigrid loosened the inner pressure to standard values and he felt better.

"At this point, it is more a compliment than an insult." the alien hissed, troubled.

"What's our status?"

"Look around, Demon. See for yourself."

John complied, but it was difficult to see anything beyond floating dust, fire and alien figures moving in the dark; or hear anything besides moans of pain, strange cries and... battle? Elites helped each other to escape from the ruins and were moving rubble out of the way to help the humans rescue their own. He didn't know that it was thanks to the Arbiter that the Elites held together instead of blaming the humans for what happened, since greater things were going down. The Chief heard multiple detonations in the distance. Sigrid immediately caught up with the _Infinity_ 's video feeds and showed him an aerial view of the city under attack. Several shark-like ships hovered above, difficult to spot because they somewhat _blended_ with the night sky.

"What is that?" he asked, and looked up.

There was open sky over their heads, clouded with dark smoke and the barely noticeable shapes of the enemy ships that kept prowling and firing randomly. Or maybe not so randomly: he checked the entry vectors and realized they were heading towards the mountains, where the _Infinity_ was docked. Ships from the Arbiter's fleet joined the fight against these almost invisible vessels.

"We are under attack." the Arbiter said, harshly. "It is Jul 'Mdama's fleet. I don't know how they made it into our airspace undetected. If he actually found a way to avoid our sensors and orbital security systems..."

There was a moment of nearly silent thought.

"Halsey." John said, although he didn't want to believe it.

It was a possibility. If Subject Eleven was telling the truth and the woman who helped them back in _Installation 00_ wasn't the real Dr. Halsey, then she was still behind enemy lines, most likely working with the Covenant Remnant. Whatever she did with the Key she stole from the UNSC was beyond his knowledge, but he could imagine very little other options. Why would she do something like this?

That was also beyond his knowledge, but it bothered him to no end.

The name didn't mean anything for the Elite leader, he just turned around to talk with one of his wounded officers.

"Sigrid, what's our company's status?" the Chief requested.

She processed silently for an entire cycle of five seconds and projected in John's HUD the list of dead, missing and active personnel. Fifteen S-IV's were dead along with nearly thirty officers. There were barely twenty people unharmed out of a hundred, but Cortana and Eleven weren't in any of the lists, which made him feel more uneasy. He spotted the names of Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer, his status said 'wounded' and hers, 'severely wounded'. The rest of the surviving S-IV's were scattered across the city, fighting fire with fire.

John assessed the situation for a brief moment, but the Arbiter was ahead of him.

"You should collect anyone who can follow you and retreat, your ship is about to get airborne. What is it the phrase you humans use, when you want to say that someone is an easy target?"

"A sitting duck?" the Chief tried.

"That one, exactly. The _Infinity_ is a sitting duck right now."

"What about you, Arbiter?"

The blistered alien looked at him for a moment, but in the meantime he removed the remaining battered shoulderplate from his body, dismissing it like it was just a piece of scrap metal.

"Why do you keep calling me that? I am Thel of the Keep of 'Vadam." he grabbed a plasma rifle that another Elite handed him and tossed the weapon towards John. The Chief grabbed it in mid flight. "You need a weapon, don't you? Leave, Demon. You have a job to do, you better get it done."

It wasn't a just a standard plasma rifle. John recognized the long barrel, the extra capacitors attached to the weapon's body and the Covenant's version of a long-distance-extreme-accuracy scope. It was a sniper rifle.

Now, this could turn the tide completely if he could manage a clear shot.

 _Or if he could find her again_.

"Thank you, Arbiter." John said.

He never thought that one day he would end up saluting an alien creature with the same respect he held for his fellow SPARTANS, but he did. The Arbiter dropped his serpentine-like head, reverentially, and the Chief parted.

He made his way through debris and fire until he reached the street.

The chaos out there was even worse, the _Infinity_ had already deployed all of her fighters to support the Arbiter's fleet. It was painfully obvious that the battle was heavily unbalanced favoring the Remnant forces, but not for long.  

He had a mission that required a target and he knew exactly where to find it.

"Cortana?" John called, over their private comm.

No response but static.

"Cortana!" he tried again, Sigrid broadcasted in several bands at the same time.

This time something made it back to him, a faint retort that sounded pretty much like Cortana's voice. Half a scream, half a word. John's pulse raced. Was she in trouble? Did the Rampant find her? After all, she said she'd _'take care of all the obstacles on their way'_. He couldn't think of anything or anyone else that might represent an obstacle for her and her twisted plans.

"Sigrid, use the radio signal to triangulate Cortana's position. We can't see her but we can hear her, that's enough."

 

**AUGUST 13TH 2558**

**LOCATION: CAPITAL KEEP, STATE OF VADAM - SANGHELIOS**

**SEVENTH SECTOR, FOURTH SQUARE**

**11:03 PM standard time**

 

The only thing she could think about was John.

Where was he? Was he all right? She lost connection with Sigrid once the plasma light bulb in the center of the hall exploded, raining abrasive drops of lava-like fluids over the party's attendance. She wasn't hit -miraculously- because someone tackled her behind a wide stone table. A moment later the roof of the hall collapsed under plasma detonations but they were already in the outside. She helped to drag Commander Palmer out, her armor had partially melted over her boiling skin because she tried to protect the Captain. Lasky was also unconscious but Admiral Osman seemed unhurt although her uniform had big burnt patches.

ONI agents picked up command of the situation from then on.

Cortana took advantage of the confusion to recover her armor and blend in with the shadows of the street, the HARPY would keep her hidden for a while. She had lost contact with both John and Eleven, but it was all part of the plan. Quickly, she climbed up the dome-like houses and ran through the catwalks and thick pipes, trying to circle the Elder's Hall in search for familiar faces or armors.

That's when the aerial attack began.

And now she wasn't so sure about the 'plan' anymore, this was unaccounted for. Cortana didn't want to think about the whole matter as anything else than an unfortunate coincidence.

She reached a vantage point to get a clearer view, an ample terrace with a garden thriving of exotic Sangheili flowers. Up there the wind was heated with radiation waves and smoke, it probably reeked of burnt flesh and toxic gasses. She realized the attacking ships were heading towards the industrial assemblies at the mountain's lap, most likely the spaceport itself. Flashes of plasma cannons and light-fighter's artillery cleared up the night sky, the sound of the airborne battle was certainly terrifying. There was raging fire all over Capital Keep.

For a moment, she felt very cold even inside the controlled atmosphere of her suit. It was guilt, she realized. Guilt, and fear and sadness. Horror. Human emotions flooded her mind and she didn't know what else to do but to stare, frightened, at the ongoing destruction.

Had the plan failed?

"There you are! I was looking for you." a voice like hers purred, from behind.

Cortana shivered, startled.

A stray pulse of white-hot plasma illuminated the garden. The armor's systems triangulated the voice but her HUD couldn't locate a solid source. Cortana resolved to remove the helmet, and then she saw her enemyand her bright lines of pale blue against the darkness. _Built for stealth_. She figured that the HARPY was stealthy even for other HARPY units.

Her Rampant self prowled out of the shadows with a long, razor-sharp black spike in her right hand. She seemed content.

Cortana immediately grasped the alien needler she had clasped to the small of her back and fired five rounds. She half-crouched beside a large hexagonal pot overflowing with plants, for cover, watching wide-eyed how the Rampant dismissed the crystalline projectiles with a few lightning-fast swings of her sword. The shards exploded in pieces leaving her unharmed.

Cortana caught her breath, concerned.

"So, our little brother finally found you. That sneaky bastard." the Rampant said.

"What exactly are you trying to prove, Seven?" Cortana shouted, angry.

"Prove?" the other one stopped her confident pacing and faced her. Another long stream of plasma flashed across the sky, revealing her face contorted in offense. "You think I'm trying to prove something? I'm not _trying_ anything here, I'm going to kill you for good this time, Three."

Bad sign. Cortana squeezed her brains trying to think, holding the needler close to her head like John taught her to do. Faint reminiscences of the months previous to the memory wipe poured through her mind and she realized that they had a fight about John before. It was _then_ when the whole situation started. It made her feel even more guilty, for some reason.

There! She had an idea, but it would be risky and probably she'd get hurt too.

"Why? Because the Chief doesn't want to leave with you?" Cortana teased. "I told you it wouldn't work, you know what kind of man he is."

"You won't lay a finger on him." the Rampant growled, furious.

"A little too late."

The other Cortana straightened her pose, black spikes like thorns sprouted all over her shoulder and breastplates.

"What do you mean by 'too late', Three?" she asked, her voice hollow.

"We kissed the other day. It was nice." Cortana said, pretending it meant nothing to her. "But we both suck at it, so we promised to 'train' and get better, you know. It was our first time, after all."

She barely made it to finish the sentence; a dark, sharp object fell right beside her and it probably would have cut her in half if she hadn't been fast enough to move away. Cortana lifted the needler and squeezed the trigger, three crystalline rounds missed but one slipped through the shimmering blue energy shields and hit the Rampant Spike on her left arm. The crystal shards detonated and she screamed, a burst of red streaked the nearest wall.

Cortana fell back, running as fast as she could.

She didn't get too far. A big burst of plasma from the aerial battle fell right in the center of the terrace, digging a hole about half the size of the entire garden. The force of the blast pushed Cortana back and a column saved her from falling off the platform, but boiling drops of plasma splattered all over, rendering tiny holes through the HARPY. She was unaware of it until she felt the burning pain, increasing by the second. She lost the needler and any notion of space or time.

It was horrible. John had been hit by plasma rounds many times, how in hell could he resist so much pain and keep fighting?

It felt like a white-hot nail pushing slowly through her flesh and bones, non-stop. Cortana's eyes watered instantly, she couldn't stop screaming. She cursed under her breath, trembling, crying. She couldn't get up.

Of all human emotions and feelings, pain was the one she hated the most.

An angular object hit her in the gut and made her roll over several times, until she found the column again. Moaning in pain, Cortana made an extra effort to get back on her feet and succeeded, only to face the blistered features of her Rampant counterpart. Seven grabbed her by the neck and shoved her against the column, rising Cortana a few feet off the stone floor.

"So, you kissed?" the other said. "And it was _nice_. Tell me more, sister."

Cortana clasped the Rampant's wrists, trying to breathe.

She only found blue eyes on fire beneath a shade of messy, bloodied dark hair.

"He's MINE. I picked him. He belongs _to me_!" the Rampant shouted.

Cortana winced in pain.

Childish and deadly, the worst combination ever.

"He's not _yours_!" she shouted back. "We picked John, all right, but we wouldn't be even here if it wasn't for him. We owe the Chief our very lives!"

"You don't know anything. You think you are perfect, innocent..."

" _You_ are the one who wants to kill him for no reason!"

"If I can't have him, sure as hell you won't have him either!"

"Now, that's _very mature_." Cortana chuckled, gasping for air.

Seven laughed out loud, from her right arm a long spike sprouted. She looked up at Cortana with a wicked smile full of rage: "No. I will get rid of you once and for all, my dear _sister_."

The Rampant hit her against the column, crushing her throat.

Cortana felt her lungs on fire. Her vision tunneled.

Seven raised her arm, ready to strike.

But Cortana saw with the corner of her eye a dark shadow with faint traces of red rise up behind her attacker. Eleven tossed her arms beneath the Rampant's armpits and then snaked up to the nape of her neck, immobilizing her. From the palms of his hands, several volts of electricity hit her in the back of the head and her wild eyes rolled back, releasing Cortana instantly. The three of them fell limply to the ground.

Eleven rolled to get up when a fist armed with a dark, polished combat knife tried to stab him, and stepped back. The Rampant Cortana jumped to her feet, although her limbs were still a little twitchy and her armor, affected by the electricity, was shifting uncontrollably.

"Hello, brother." she said, her teeth trembling.

"This is for our dead sisters." he growled.

Eleven didn't waste a second to grow on each hand a broad and jagged sword and engage. The Rampant counterattacked by rising her own swords and an ample variety of other small spikes, thorns and blades sprouting from her knees, heels or elbows. She moved like the wind. Eleven was as skilled as she was, for every maneuver she used he responded and blocked, then attacked again, it was like a demented dance of death between two expert partners.

Cortana used the column as support to stand, her eyes scanning the floor.

The needler. Where the hell was the needler?

There it was! She tried to run but her legs were weak, the pain of the plasma burns still lingered across her skin and with every move, her whole body cried in suffering. It was unbelievable, she was so damn close...

 _"Cortana?"_ a voice whispered in her hear.

She froze, her eyes wide open. "Chief?" she mumbled under her breath, surprised.

_"Get her out in the open, I need a clear shot."_

Cortana looked up. Where was he? Eleven and the Rampant were fighting beneath the smoking remains of an old gallery carved in stone and silver. The columns and the speed of their moves weren't helping John's aim. And what the hell was Sigrid doing, why couldn't the AI assist him?

Stop. She had an idea.

"Coming right up, Chief." Cortana got up, leaning against the column. "Hey! You know what?" she shouted, trying to get the Rampant's attention. "Now that John and I kissed, maybe we'll try having sex next! I heard it's fun! What do you think, _sister_?"

The battle stopped when Eleven was hit in the face by a powerful armored boot and fell several meters away, flat on his back.

The Rampant turned around and marched towards Cortana.

"You think this is funny, Three?" she grunted, with her teeth tightly clenched.

The Rampant Spike stopped right on her tracks when a hissing line of light passed through her uncovered head, a wide splatter of blood exploded from the opposite side of her skull. Her eyes went blank and her armor hissed and shifted, like an enraged animal; arches of blue electricity scrambled all over her body as she collapsed, dead.

Cortana was petrified.

She was dead? Was it over?

Cortana fell to her knees, feeling her heart throb in her ears.

 _"Cortana, confirm the kill."_ John asked, coldly.

"Confirmed, Chief." she answered, almost absent. "She's... dead."

He shot her in the head, from who knows how far.

 _The Chief shot the Rampant Spike dead, just like that_.

She wasn't sure if she should admire his titanium temper or just fear it. Would he shoot at her too, if she became unreliable? Or Eleven? Cortana felt cold, and the pain crept up her skin reminding her that she was hurt, the sound of the ongoing battle and the 'fireworks' in the sky brought her back to reality.

 _"Stand by, you're now at extraction point Alpha. There's a Pelican on its way."_ the Chief said, and the link disconnected.

Cortana was stunned. Eleven crouched beside her and cradled her in his arms with a huff of relief. There was blood on his face, so much that the actual damage was hard to calculate. Cortana buried her nose in the crook of his bloodied neck and hugged him, but it didn't feel as good as hugging John. Not nearly.

He didn't smell like John, or wasn't that broad-shouldered or strong.  

"So, you and the Chief kissed?" Eleven asked, curious.

"Shut up." Cortana said, her cheeks now burning a bit more.

She looked back at the dead body, over Eleven's shoulder.

She frowned, uneasy. The body was disintegrating, faint amber light shimmered through it as the figure shattered into small pieces of information that the wind scattered away, only leaving the infinitesimal pieces of her HARPY armor behind. She'd seen that before, when John was fighting his way through a horde of Promethean Knights at the Forerunner shield-world _Requiem_.

The Rampant Spike's body decomposed exactly the same way.

Cortana's stomach flipped, her pulse raced. She had a very bad feeling.

What she was seeing was a _data purge_. It could only mean one thing...

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**MEDICAL BAY, SUB-DECK C**

**1:32 PM standard time**

 

Her eyelids fluttered open, but the light hurt and she closed her eyes instantly.

"Ow." Cortana muttered, feeling nauseous.

"Easy, now." a male electronic voice said. "You're safe."

"Roland?"

"Welcome back."

"We made it." she sighed. "I just passed out. How is the Chief doing?"

Her eyes scanned the room and she recognized a small closed quarter at the med-bay. She rolled her head over the tiny pillow and saw Roland's amber figure beside her, floating in a portable holo-port. Somebody had to put that thing there.

"It was a hell of a battle, but together with the Arbiter's forces we could repel Jul 'Mdama's fleet before irreparable damage. They fled once the _Infinity_ pointed her MACs at them. The Master Chief has only minor injuries but he's heavily sedated, I'm afraid. He wasn't taking very well the idea of resting, for what I've heard."

 _'That sounds like the Chief.'_ Cortana thought, sighing again.

She wanted to ask about Sanghelios, about the Arbiter and the people who died in the attack, but it seemed too soon to dive into sadness. She tried to push those feelings aside for now, for sure Osman's people would torment her with interrogations again and that already was irritating enough. She knew she had to tell someone what she saw after John shot the Rampant Spike down, but...

Her whole body shivered in fear, for some reason.

She chose a simpler subject: "What are you doing here?"

"I just..." the AI hesitated for three seconds. "I asked Dr. Quinn to leave a port here because I wanted to talk to you. But it's nothing important, it can wait until you feel better."

"I'm awake now." she said, gently.

"Fine. I wanted to ask you how it feels being a human person."

"What?" Cortana blinked, surprised.

"Yeah, very subtle there, Roland. " he whispered, almost to himself. Roland clasped his hands behind his back and looked down, shyly, and shrugged. "I'm curious. After all, we used to be the same and now..."

"I understand." Cortana answered, with a small smile. "It's great and it's also not that great, but let me explain. It's great because for the first time in my whole existence I can experience all of those things I've only read or processed; but it also sucks because you have to experience things that you know won't be pretty. Some of them are worse than anything you could expect. Emotions are complicated, we as AIs used to process things in a certain way, the human brain is very different. As AIs we could get bored but never felt hungry, thirsty or sleepy, and we processed emotions as chemical responses and broke down its components in countless classification and scales. We _quantified_ everything, but we never actually experienced _the true quality_ of such calculations. I tell you, Roland, despite the ups and downs, I wouldn't change the experience for anything. Data is just data, endless streams of bytes and memory clusters carefully structured. The real thing is a thousand times better."

He was listening and seemed amazed.

Then, Cortana realized that maybe she made a mistake: "Oh, Roland, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that being an AI is not good enough, I..."

"I get it." Roland chuckled. "I didn't take it that way, either. But your lifespan has increased exponentially, that's..."

"A notorious improvement?"

"I was going to say that it's enviable since, well, I'll probably be decommissioned in four years from now, for safety. You know, before I..." Roland made a gesture rolling a finger against his temple, indicating dementia. "What is _rampancy_ like, Cortana?"

She shivered again and rubbed her arms up and down to shake the cold away.

"I don't want to talk about that. It would do you no good, trust me." she said.

The AI nodded, he understood. "So, even if you could... you'd never go back to being an AI?"

Cortana recalled in a flash the dream in which she had John with her in bed, and how vivid and thrilling it felt although it wasn't real. She also remembered that innocent kiss shared in the engine room of the ship, secretly. Her heart fluttered, her blood ran fast across her veins, invigorated.

Roland tilted his head.

"Did I say something wrong? Your pulse just spiked."

"No, it's okay." Cortana coughed, suddenly embarrassed, and she patted her cheeks with both of her palms to hide the blush. "Being a human it’s okay, but I’d go back to being an AI because I know I would do a much better work than Sigrid does." she muttered then, cocky.

The lights inside the little room flickered a few times and suddenly, a sound like thunder roller over Roland's speaker. His amber figure tilted, then he disappeared as if engulfed by light.

Cortana tried to get out of bed, but a sharp, angry female voice stopped her:

_"How much more do you plan to keep bashing my work?"_

"Who is this?" she asked, nervous.

_"UNSC Smart AI SGD 0306-7, if it rings you any bells."_

"Sigrid?" Cortana guessed, shocked. "I thought you..."

 _"Listen up, for I will only say this once."_ the voice said. Over the holo-port, the radiant figure of a young woman with long white braids, dressed in an ancient armor -with a horned helmet- emerged. She pointed at Cortana with a sword made of light. "I chose to play dumb for his sake. I already have enough trouble synchronizing with SPARTAN-117 as it is, talking and acting like any other Smart AI would have been catastrophic. He didn't want to be paired with another AI, he almost went AWOL after the _Forge_. It was thanks to Captain Lasky's and Lord Hood's advice that he got better: someone stopped him at the right time. When we were introduced, I could _feel_ his rejection. I knew it would be a challenge, of course, but I was instructed to protect and guide him and his new unit. Do you really think I don't care at all? I wasn't wrong: at least he listens to me this way. _Most of the time_. He's stubborn as an old goat and never explains what's on his mind when he's planning to do something, I'll give you that, but he somehow has come to terms with me."

Cortana just blinked, stunned. Then, she clarified: "His name is John."

"I know that." Sigrid seemed irritated now. "Look, I know who you are and what you mean for SPARTAN-117. But I'm trying to do my job. Don't tell him we had this conversation, I don't want my work spoiled."

"So, you'll keep lying to him?"

"It's a little price to pay in order to stick around one of the finest units, so yes."

The warrior goddess disappeared instantly from the holo-port, with a shimmer of white light. Cortana just stood there, staring at the empty pad with confused eyes. After a brief moment, Roland reappeared.

"She's a though one." the AI coughed, uncomfortable.

"I can see that. Is it always that crowded inside the _Infinity_ 's systems?"

"Well, there's me, a couple dozens of dumb AIs, sometimes her and the other AIs of the SPARTAN company..."

"How does that feel?"

"I have my pride but I'm not that competitive, we can all coexist as long as they remember that I'm in charge here." Roland stated, with a small smirk. But only seconds later, he straightened his pose and announced: "Oh, he's awake, by the way. The Chief just came around."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

_OH YEAH_. This isn't over (and it's not a spoiler) so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I am evil, remember. Anyway, John, as badass as ever, shot the Spike right in the head and killed her from, like, a trillion miles away (?) Linda would be sooo proud of him :D And Cortana saw everything from the VIP seats; I mean, she saw him kill people before but this was different, right? Not every day your SPARTAN crush shots one of your sisters dead right in front of you... hmmm.

So, Sigrid is no dumb AI and she's also very protective of John, how about that? I swear, this guy's got a magnet for digital chicks. I sense catfight incoming.

**Let's meet again next Sunday, the Chief just woke up and there's a... 'surprise' awaiting him :P Don't forget to leave your comments, please! ^^**


	16. Strange Magic

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Today we have a little more of character development with surprises, so enjoy! :)

ALSO: I started translating this same story to my native language, which is Spanish ^^ don't be scared, I'm not uploading anything new for now, just a translation.

**15\. STRANGE MAGIC**

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**S-DECK MEDICAL BAY**

**1:37 PM standard time**

 

John groaned beneath his breath when he heard someone laughing. A child, to be more precise, but that was impossible because the last time he heard children laugh he was a kid himself. Way back, far away amongst the fog of memories.

"Honey, be careful. You'll wake him up."

"John!" said an infant's voice, overflowing with joy.

"Yes, this is John. He needs to rest."

The light blinded him but he didn't close his eyes. On the contrary, John bravely looked around until everything became clear and he found himself lying in bed, out of his armor and...

There was a little girl kneeling on a chair beside the bed, drawing on a pad placed over the covers and very close to his left hand. John clenched his fist and immediately backed away, causing the little girl to startle and look up. When her big blue eyes found his, she smiled with all of her heart.

"John!" she said again, her voice sweet as honey.

She had very tiny teeth in her mouth, yet her smile was bigger than anything he'd ever seen. Her little right hand shot towards her forehead, waving her small fingers as a salute that actually looked like she was trying to cover her eyes from sunlight. He felt a strange urge to correct that salute but successfully restrained himself. Dr. Quinn, who was checking data on her own pad, turned around to face them.

The SPARTAN's slightly horrified look was really amusing.

"Good afternoon, Chief. How are you feeling?" the Doctor asked.

He didn't answer.

They were staring at each other, the little girl in awe and John waiting for her to leave or at least back away from the bed. _Subject Twelve_ , as Eleven called her once. She was like him, and like Cortana. John guessed she was what Cortana would look like if she'd been born human instead of an AI, and that certainty made him feel a little less worried -or troubled-. Still, he couldn't manage to let go of his doubts; he'd never been in the presence of children that young before.

"Ease up, Chief. It's only a kid." Dr. Quinn said, softly. "The other children are older than her and she feels a little lonely. She just wants to play."

Still, John didn't say a word or looked away from the girl.

The Doctor frowned, now really worried.

"Master Chief, can you hear me?" she waved her hand before John's face.

"Where's Cortana?" he said, sharply, turning to her.

Dr. Quinn smiled, now relieved, and crossed her arms hugging her pad.

"Would you look at that? He's handsome and _he_ _talks_." she said, amused. The informal tone made him glare at her, but the woman kept going: "She's recovering, doing pretty fine actually. You should focus on resting, it's good to have you back."

John narrowed his eyes. "What's our current status?"

"We're a little rattled, to be honest. Half of my staff was left behind at Sanghelios to give the Arbiter a hand, but most of us made it back to the ship and now we're in slip-space. Admiral Osman ordered to set course to New Carthage. Things are kind of hot at the bridge right now, since Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer are unavailable..." the Doctor trailed off. Her face became grim for a moment. "I feel bad for the Sangheili, they were cooperative and now... their dead outnumber ours by several figures."

John eased up a bit, trying to think. It was so confusing. The little girl's stare was making him very nervous. Well, not exactly nervous; he was curious and had no idea about how to channel that curiosity without giving the wrong impression. When he eyed at the little Cortana for the millionth time, she was drawing on the pad again with that big smile on her lips.

"How long was I out?"

"Around twelve hours. Don't get up so fast, Chief, you'll get dizzy."

He rarely struggled for anything, but getting out of that bed was hard. His limbs felt heavy despite he wasn't wearing any armor. Somebody sedated his ass so bad that he could barely stand up, now he only wanted to know who had the balls to take down a SPARTAN-II armed only with a dart gun.

And _when did it happen_ , because he couldn't remember a single thing since he hopped inside the Pelican with Cortana and Eleven.

Cortana. He felt another urge: _to see her_.

"I feel fine." John growled, trying to get up.

"I'm sure you do, mister SPARTAN, but your doctor says you rest. Unless you want me to use my rank on you and make it an order. I can do that too."

The woman pushed him backwards and John crashed against the thin mattress, the whole bed shook under his weight. The little Cortana laughed when her pad trembled and her fingers drew a curious green shape by mistake.

"For how long?" he demanded, mildly irritated.

"I'd say three days, but given your latest success I could dispense you for an entire week. Now, you have an ugly bruise in your spine, you are under treatment and the drug needs at least thirty six hours to work its magic... so, promise me you won't jump into the mouth of Hades for that long, and I will let you walk out of here in about an hour. Is that long enough?"

He was about to say that a week of rest was ridiculous, but he was taught to hold his tongue in front of a superior officer. Well, most of the time.

"Thank you, Doctor."

"I'll take that as a yes." the Doctor mumbled, she made a note on her pad and then smiled at him, proudly. "Regarding your question, Cortana is recovering in sub-deck C. You can go and say hi once I dismiss you, but in the meantime... do you mind keeping an eye on this little munchkin while I check on some patients? I mean, it's not as heroic as saving Humanity or anything, but..."

He hesitated for a full second and then nodded; he wasn't so sure about it, but he nodded anyway. He changed his mind when Dr. Quinn left the room, when it was too late to say anything. John sighed and looked at the white ceiling, somewhat frustrated. He didn't say a word, his head was still a little foggy. The child kept drawing, she was using her fingers to digitally paint something.

When she considered it was finished, the little Cortana climbed up the bed.

She knelt beside his large arm, carrying the pad. "John, John!"

"What is it?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

 He wasn't trained for that. It was never meant for the civilian population to know about the S-II program (or any of the programs anyway), so he wasn't required to learn any kind of protocol to deal with civilians, even less children. Then things changed and now he was actually babysitting. How the hell did that happen?

The girl pointed at her drawing, very excited.

"John!" she said again.

On the pad's screen there was a loose green shape that maybe resembled a starfish, if starfishes were military-green. The thing had an orange spot above, around the tip that could be considered the 'head'. Then it hit him. She was calling his name while pointing at the drawing, she was trying to tell him something more obvious than just exhibiting her abstract art.

"You mean _this is me_?" he concluded.

"John!" the girl said, laughing again, with that big smile free of worries.

John didn't know exactly why, but a similar gesture tugged from the corners of his mouth. He complied a little, his expression eased up and now he didn't look so serious or intimidating. The Chief evaluated the drawing again and everything became clearer. She wasn't a threat. He spotted the small Forerunner glyph on her left wrist and the tiny clothes she was wearing, clearly sewn by someone from the crew or perhaps borrowed from the survivors. The stitches were sloppy but strong.

It was just a child, as Dr. Quinn said. He felt immediately more comfortable.

"Good job." John said, amused.

The little girl handed him the pad. John hesitated but decided to save the drawing in the device's memory disk, and clear the screen so she could paint another.

After half an hour, the little Cortana started to yawn and her drawings became less spirited, as did her monosyllabic chatter. She left the pad aside and with a last big yawn, she crept up the bed to rest against the Chief's arm. He tried to avoid it -not sure why-, but she moved closer and finally cuddled by his side.

He didn't want to touch her.

Maybe, because he was afraid he could hurt her.

Bruise her. Or kill her without thinking. He wasn't sure about how much force he should apply to the task of removing the child from his proximity. He could forget she was there and crush her under his weight.

 _'How could I forget she's here?'_ he thought.

John tried to stay still until the little Cortana fell asleep. Her small hand ended up resting on his biceps, while her quiet face was half hidden against the blue bed sheets. She was so small and fragile, almost like a rag doll. Minutes flew by, one after another and almost lazily, until John came around the idea of having the child beside him.

Dr. Quinn entered the room and stood still when she saw that unusual picture.

She grinned, half amazed and half amused.

"I don't understand children." John whispered. "One minute she's drawing and the next, she's sleeping. Is something wrong with her?"

"Nothing is wrong with her, Master Chief, she's all fine and normal for a regular two-year-old. Seems like you managed it quite well here, we always have a hard time to get her to sleep." the Doctor whispered, her smile as dazzling as the sun. She leaned in and lifted the little girl in her arms, without waking her up. "You can get dressed and go if you want, you're dismissed."

John nodded again and got out of bed, as fast as he could.

There was that urge again, the compelling need to check on Cortana. However, he had to put the plan on hold; before leaving the med-bay, he was called to the S-Deck to take care of his armor, there were some reports to fill regarding the repairs needed and cleanup to do.

For some reason, that task he usually liked annoyed him to no end.

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**S-DECK MEDICAL BAY**

**2:28 PM standard time**

 

"Where did you get this?" Sarah asked, astonished.

She looked at the small cellophane wrapping printed in bright, inviting colors. The word _'Snickers'_ was its most interesting feature only after _the scent_. That glorious, sweet scent her enhanced senses could smell even although the package was still sealed. It obviously brought back memories of better times, when she was way younger and life was way easier. She never thought she'd smell -or taste- something of the likes again, and Tom of all people smuggled a bar into the med-bay for her.

 _For her_. Sarah tried not to think that much about that little fact.

"From my personal stash. Don't tell anyone, these are pretty hard to come by."

"Tom, are you saying this is _real_ chocolate? I thought it didn't exist anymore."

"There are cocoa plantations on Mars, you know."

His smirk was worth a million bucks.

The Captain's head was wrapped in a tight bandage, he had bruises on his face and used a single crutch to walk (it had something to do with his ankle), but otherwise he was doing fine. She, on the other hand, was confined to a bed for at least five days and scheduled for two reconstructive surgeries. She had third and fourth degree burns on her right leg and arm, second degree burns scattered all over her upper midsection, front and back sides. Sarah figured she didn't look pretty with half of her face bandaged (her hair loose and dirty, too) but she was very happy to be alive and see Tom awake.

Her MJOLNIR GEN2 was probably scrap metal now. Sarah sighed and sniffed at the little package again, looking for some comfort.

"Smells awesome." she said, her mouth watered.

"I bet it tastes even better."

The Commander tried to chuckle -it hurt- and let her head roll back over the tiny pillow. Finally, a lucky break. She sighed once more and closed her only visible eye, it felt good to know that they were safe.

"Commander. " Lasky called, now serious.

She peeked with the corner of her eye, carefully.

"What you did was reckless." he dragged the chair extremely close to the bed, his voice became a whisper: "I'm deeply grateful because you saved my life, but if you have died back there..."

She stopped him, raising her bandaged arm. "Don't. It's my duty."

"No. I need you _alive_ , Sarah." he concluded, and got on his feet to leave.

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**SCIENTIFIC STAFF QUARTERS DECK**

**3:39 PM standard time**

 

She was dismissed from medical care a few hours after she woke up.

Holding a bag with extra bandages and healing ointment, Cortana made her way to her quarters, she needed a shower. Her hair and skin smelled of smoke and blood, she felt her skin prickly.

Also, she wanted to examine the extension of her plasma burns. Cortana stripped and peeled off the sterile patches covering her abdomen, chest and upper thighs. She looked at her reflection on the mirror, noticing that the red and pulsing injuries were barely dots like freckles on her skin, splashing across her body like a path of stars. It felt hot and still hurt. Her breasts hurt the most, she couldn't even stand the touch of cloth. Thinking about the excruciating pain she felt half a day before made her shiver, so she got inside the shower and let the hot water run.

She also noticed that, in the past few months, her hair had grown longer. The tips of her black bangs curled a bit, framing her face in a -somewhat- more innocent fashion. She wasn't sure if she liked it. Cortana washed her skin carefully, trying not to think about anything else but being careful with her wounds.

Later, when she was clean and dried, she proceeded to reapply the ointment and clean gauze patches. She allowed herself to lay in bed for a few minutes, while thinking about the night before. Cortana wondered what happened with her HARPY armor. She could remember the commotion when the Pelicans landed, dropping dead and wounded SPARTANS and officers, but not much after she was taken to the medical bay. She had no idea where Eleven was, if he was okay or what was the current status. She knew they were in slip-space and heading to New Carthage, but not much more.

It could wait. Cortana was hungry and desperately needed to talk with a friend. So she got dressed and made it out to the S-Deck.

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**S-DECK QUARTERS**

**4:10 PM standard time**

 

She knocked. It was polite to knock on the door before entering anywhere, even if it was to John's quarters.

"Chief? It's me." she said.

"Come in." he allowed, from inside.

Cortana pressed the command on the door's pad and it opened, revealing a narrow and gray room -pretty much like hers- with a single bed, a wall rack, a small desk (too small for a SPARTAN, so it was cast aside) with several bottles of water and scrambled papers on top, the entrance of the private shower and a half-naked, very tall man. She gasped but didn't turn around. John was at least wearing his pants and she caught him with a shirt on his hands, water still dripping from his short hair.

Her amazed eyes went straight to the dog-tags, to the chip hanging from the same chain; then to the scars, traces of old and new plasma burns, slashes, shots and bruises. Anywhere, as much as she could ignore _the rest_ of him. She couldn't anyway.

She felt heat inside her belly again, rising up like flames.

"Sorry, I can come back later if..."

"No need." the Chief eased her, softly. "I'm done. How are you doing?"

"It doesn't hurt now. Not that bad, anyway." she said, and tugged up the end of her shirt to show him the bandages on her abdomen. "What about you?

"I'm fine."

He raised the shirt over his head, when he turned to get dressed she had a glimpse of his lower back and the ugly bruise that emerged from the waistband of his pants. Her heart nearly stopped.

"Chief, what the hell is that? What happened to you?"

"I fell." he answered, pulling down the shirt.

"That doesn't look like you just 'fell'. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Cortana. Have a seat."

She chose to sit on the bed, pulling her knees against her chest. John sat beside her. There was some space left, so before he could say anything, she quickly moved and leaned back to back with him, still hugging her knees. The reassuring feeling of having the Chief supporting her like that was worth more than anything. Then, she realized that maybe it wasn't a good idea:

"Oh, I'm not hurting you, am I?" she asked, alarmed.

"Like you could. Stay there." he growled.

"Okay, then, go on. Tell me."

As briefly as he could, John told her about what happened in Sanghelios after they split at the ceremonial hall. He told her about the unknown SPARTAN, about following it to find out it was actually the Rampant Spike, about the conversation they had on the roof of the hall. She told him what the first explosion was, he told her about the second, a tight network of plasma grenades carefully placed. He explained a little about his 'fall' and Cortana explained how did she get to the terrace, while looking for him or someone familiar. Then, the Spike found her and shit hit the fan.

"She was acting strange." John commented. "She said she had changed her mind about killing me, but her actions weren't consequent at all. It was like her rampancy was finally making her glitch hard."

She noticed that the Chief preferred to use words like 'rampancy' and 'glitch' as if he wasn't willing to think about the Rampant Spike as a being made of flesh and bone. That, somehow, made her feel more comfortable. She rest the back of her head against the nape of his neck. It was a surprising -and exciting- that he was okay with that much physical contact.

"Did she use Jul 'Mdama's fleet to cover her tracks?"

"I don't know."

And the most important question: "You think she's working with Dr. Halsey?"

None of them wanted to think about it, but John said it. "It's a possibility."

"Chief, what I saw when her body decomposed..."

"She'll come back." John nodded, slowly. "This is not over."

"As much as I hate to admit it, we have to tell Osman." Cortana sighed. "If this is what I think it is, then physically killing the Spike is useless. We have to _erase_ her from the source. We have to find the _Fortress_."

"But your 'sister' Catherine said you were all mortal."

"Yes, we are. Erasing it is how you kill stored data. Maybe she already erased me from the _Domain_ , but since I'm still alive, I exist. I bet that's why she wants to kill me so bad, because..." Cortana trailed off, frightened.

He grunted under his breath. "I get it."

It was almost like a bad joke.

Scratch that, it was worse: it had been _a trap inside another trap_. The Chief hated to be fooled like that, although he was expecting some kind of counterattack to his plan. It was of no use, he needed to come up with a new plan now. Still, he had to admit that posing a fight against Cortana was a very difficult task; trying to outsmart her was nearly impossible.

No. _That wasn't Cortana._ CORTANA was there, with him. Safe. Protected.

"Where are we with those coordinates you were studying?" he asked.

"Glassman concluded that we don't have the amount of energy required to attempt a slip-space jump that big, not even in separated stages." she shook her head. "Unless we happen to find a Forerunner generator and plug it to the _Infinity_ 's engines somehow, we are not going nowhere near the _Fortress_." 

"Then, I'll find a Forerunner generator."

"You say it like it's something the Forerunners hid under their doormats."

"At least, I'm trying."

"I know; nothing is impossible for you, Chief." Cortana smiled, she turned around so her left side was leaning on John's back, her cheek against the shirt. She snaked an arm half around his waist without even thinking about it. Her other hand softly brushed the small of his back, barely touching the area. "But I'm worried about this bruise."

"Dr. Quinn discharged me for thirty six hours."

"Which I don't suppose you'll spend taking it easy, right?"

"You know me." he shrugged, then commented. "I met Subject Twelve today. The little girl that Eleven brought in."

She held her breath for a few seconds, expecting something else.

"What happened?" she insisted.

"Nothing. She doesn't even talk."

"... I see."

"Dr. Quinn left me alone with her for a moment. I had no idea what to do."

Cortana suppressed a snort, she knew he was smirking too although she couldn't see his face. Her free hand carefully stroked his back, up and down, until John sighed and relaxed a bit more, giving in.

"I bet it was awkward as hell for you."

"Can you picture _me_ _and a child_?" he said. "Or having one?"

Cortana winced. "I hate to break this to you, Chief, but... you breeding a child it's highly unlikely. The chemical augmentations did great things for you but also damaged whatever wasn't actually important for the purpose of your creation. You're sterile, turns out that more than half of the SPARTAN-II program subjects are."

He turned his head to watch her over his shoulder.

"How do you know that?"

"Well, I have always read your medical exams. There's a lot of things they never tell you because it doesn't mean anything to you, specifically."

Cortana recalled that Randall-037, one of John's teammates, had a daughter. How did a SPARTAN manage to find himself a mate, to truly connect with her and even breed a child? To have _a family_ beyond his squad or company? Cortana knew that the sayings about SPARTANS being robot-like war machines who couldn't feel a thing were just civilian myths, but still...

It was like a fantasy to her, in a twisted sort of way. She knew John wasn't made of stone or ice, but most likely he'd never be able to acknowledge feelings or attitudes above camaraderie, trust, loyalty or friendship. He was capable of holding grudges, she knew that much, but he didn't hate. Chief Mendez didn't taught him to hate, only to act and win, to remain loyal and fight the opposite forces.

 _And he didn't love either_ , at least, not in the way she'd like to see him love.

That made her feel sad, somehow.

"But for the record, I think you could be a good father." Cortana whispered, with a faint smile on her lips. "You are already a very protective and smart man, a fast-learner. I bet you could learn how to be a dad and also exceed at it."

He considered her words for a short moment. Suddenly, the Chief stood up and faced Cortana; something was bothering him.

"Remember what the Librarian said, when she kidnapped us at _Requiem_?" John started, frowning. "She said that I was the culmination of thousands of years of planning and hoping for the best. She also spoke of you, like you were part of it or had some role to play into this besides being my AI."

"Yeah, what about it?" she hugged her knees again.

"Maybe I should request a deeper medical exam. Lately I've been feeling..."

She raised her head, paying more attention than before: "Feeling what?"

" _Different_. Since I got you back, mostly."

That picked her interest even more. "Different how, exactly?"

His sharp blue eyes nearly pinned her down.

"I want to be nearby you, all the time. To see you, I can't stand not having eyes on you every minute. I want to talk to you, _touch you_. Mostly touch you. But I also want to see you smile. Isn't it weird?"

Cortana felt a pleasurable shiver running down her back. She nearly gasped.

That was really _a lot of talk_ for John.

She swallowed hard. "It's not weird, Chief. Not at all."

Then, she slipped her feet down and stood up too, taking two little steps until she was in front of her cherished SPARTAN, appreciating his flawlessly engineered height and strength. He was staring at her in the eyes, there was a hint of worry in that look.

After a short moment, he came back to his senses.

"You shouldn't be here." John whispered, shaking his head.

"Then kick me out." she challenged him, with another whisper.

Now _he_ swallowed hard. "... I don't want to."

"Go figure. You actually _want_ things."

John closed his eyes and just breathed in her scent, there was _something_ in that sweet perfume that kept drawing him uncontrollably close to the edges of insanity. The rush of adrenaline made him feel better than ever. He leaned in until his forehead rested against hers, Cortana smiled softly and her small hands crept up to cup his face, almost embracing him.

Her heart was pounding out of control, it was too much to bear in so little time.

The Chief's hands slowly found Cortana's waist and pulled her closer, he'd never felt before such a strong need to hold someone like that. It felt like everything was on fire and keeping her that way was the only way to save her, he didn't want to let her go. His back protested in pain, that half-crouching pose wasn't doing him any good but he actually didn't care.

When she pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth, nothing was important anymore _but her_. There was no kiss _per se_ , but it was enough. There was only Cortana and her warmth, her scent and her solid weight.

John pushed her back until the closed door stopped them, now she was cornered and at his mercy. Cortana wasn't sure about what to do next (she wanted to kiss him, to feel his arms around her once more, to stay there with John), but she wasn't afraid. She could never be afraid of her Master Chief...

Unless he was armed and willing to shoot.

The image of the Rampant Spike dropping dead with a bolt of plasma through her head hit her memories, shattering her emotions. Cortana felt something cold inside her stomach and she planted her hands against his chest, suddenly. It all stopped there.

They stared at each other, both breathing unevenly.

"The things you said to Seven back in that terrace..." the Chief started.

"You were listening?"

"There was a lot of static, but I picked up something."

"I was just provoking her, so she would attack me instead of Eleven. You wanted me to drag her out in the open, I did it." she said, her voice steady although she wanted to scream in frustration. What happened? Everything was good and now it was ruined! "You said it, her pride is her doom; I knew she'd loose it completely if I implied that we had some sort of compromising rela..."

"I see." John interrupted her, his voice still rough. He took another step back and let go of her. Cortana's hands fell limply from his reach, she felt somewhat abandoned. "I have debriefing with the Admiral. I should get going." he announced, at last.

"Of course." she mouthed, clasping her hands together. "I have things to do, too."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Pheeew! That was a LONG talk and I really wanted them to go through it.

Oh, I know what you're thinking. 500 years in the future medical tech would be miraculous but, c'mon... why would the UNSC even care about SPARTANS capable of breeding when they can pick fully grown recruits and just MAKE more of them? Their boy/girl body parts are of no use in the battlefield, are they? Didn’t Halsey once said _‘We have asked you to give up your family, your childhood, your future’_?

Anyway, it's nothing more than a theory that comes in handy for the story, don't forget the Librarian and her mysterious ways. I wasn't thinking about taking this story into M rating but... maybe I will. It depends on what the audience prefers, I'm okay with or without more or less explicit content.

**Let's meet again next Sunday, I have yet another surprise for you, since some of you have been asking for it. Leave your comments below but don't ask what's the surprise about! xD**


	17. Raging Fire

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Another episode about character development with some spicy ingredients.

_ALSO: A fellow friend and follower of this story made a fanart about certain scene from the previous episode, you can find[ **the DeviantART link here**](http://renaissancelady-k.deviantart.com/art/Green-and-Blue-539914258)! Thanks so much, Nimlain/Kushalan!!!_

**16\. RAGING FIRE**

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**S-DECK MEDICAL BAY**

**9:35 PM standard time**

Captain Thomas Lasky stared blankly at what happened inside the sealed room, through the translucent panels. Sarah was there, a lot of medics and technicians with her. She was undergoing another surgery that would save her busted leg, severely burnt during the incidents at Sanghelios. She had all the dead tissue previously removed from the major wound and replaced with artificially grown patches of muscle and skin, now the doctors were reattaching the muscle's nervous connections. Dr. Quinn assessed the situation and decided that it would be far less expensive to rebuild the damaged areas of her leg rather than just replacing it with a full prosthetic limb.

Sarah even made a joke about getting a wooden leg, like an old pirate.

Tom thought it wasn't funny.

"Captain."

Lasky recognized Osman's voice and closed his eyes, annoyed.

Why now? He had a terrible headache and another scolding was the last thing he needed. The Master Chief's plan had side-effects and he already knew that, he'd been up and down through the med-bay facing the consequences. It didn't matter, anyway, Tom was willing to stand for the Master Chief because he knew the SPARTAN's intentions were trustworthy.

"Admiral." he snapped to attention and saluted, his face stern.

The tall woman saluted back. "At ease, you're not on duty right now. How is the Commander doing?"

"Dr. Quinn says she'll be fully recovered in about two weeks or so."

"That's great news."

"Yes, indeed." he sighed, feeling a little relieved. "Did you need anything?"

"Remember what I said about scratching your nose without telling me?"

He was right: it was yet another scolding.

"Yes, ma'am, I remember."

"Good." the Admiral said, and patted him on the shoulder. "She's going to make it. Man up, Thomas. Life is short. Tremendously short, I'd rather say. You better take your chances before it's too late for both of you."

"What do you mean?" he chose to play dumb.

"I think _you know_ what I mean."

Osman tilted her head in a polite manner and left.

The Captain just stared at her as she walked down the corridor, perplexed. Yes, he knew what the Admiral meant, but he had no idea of how in the seven hells did she figured it out in the first place. He'd never demonstrated any kind of favoritism over Sarah or even said anything out of place (aside from the usual jokes, which he always made in public). He was worried sick about her but tried not to be too obvious...

If her goal was to make him feel cornered, Osman succeeded with flying colors.

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**S-DECK QUARTERS**

**10:12 PM standard time**

_'That went well.'_ John thought, after taking a quick shower.

Debriefing used to be a daily part of his life, a procedure which he was more than close to, but since the Admiral was at the _Infinity_ it had become a complete annoyance. Aside from listening and recording his version of what happened at Sanghelios, Osman asked him tricky questions as if she were trying to catch him onto something. The Chief had nothing to hide, so he remained calm and focused all along.

Well, as calm and focused as he could be after what happened with Cortana.

John fell over the bed and crossed his arms beneath his head. His back hurt a little, but he felt much better than hours ago. The problem was that Dr. Quinn ordered him not to engage in any activity that could represent an effort for his wounded back; that implied no armor or war games for thirty-six hours.

The Chief stared at the empty ceiling for a moment.

And there it was. Avoiding the feeling was futile.

 _She pushed him back._ He wasn't sure if things were about to get anywhere, but he really felt drawn to try and for a moment he thought everything was all right, that they were doing fine. Then Cortana pushed him back; the look in her clear blue eyes was full of fear, John recalled. He knew how fear looked like, how it felt and how it smelled, too. She feared him; or at least for a moment, she did.

_Why? He'd never hurt her._

John groaned and crossed an arm over his eyes, displeased.

He could sleep for the rest of the night. He could use the rest, anyway, he had the feeling that the days to come would be not only busy, but troublesome. The Chief took a deep breath and eased himself, trying to relax. After a few minutes, white noise filled his thoughts and he started to drift away into sleep.

It was the fluttering touch of fingers over his chest and the solid weight pressing against his stomach what brought him back.

His response was as quick as expected: John grabbed the sidearm he used to keep under his pillow and placed the weapon's barrel right beneath the woman's chin, pushing up against her throat. He grabbed her by the shoulder, seizing her under his iron-strong grip. She didn't even see it coming.

Cortana squeaked in fright and her eyes shot open wide, full of fear.

"Chief! For God's sake, what...?"

He almost relaxed when he recognized her terrified face.

But why would she sneak into his quarters like this, without knocking or sending him a message before? Plus, why would she be sitting atop him, straddling his hips with her legs, leaning over his face? And dressed in the tight undersuit of her HARPY armor, besides. It wasn't right.

He knew it was a nightmare right from the start.

"You're not Cortana." John stated, with all certainty.

She opened her mouth to scream, but...

"Damn, what gave me away?" she said. "Was it the sexually harassing you?"

The woman leaned back, he pushed himself up to be seated while keeping the weapon beneath her jaw. John thought about shoving her back and shoot her, but if it was a nightmare, then he wanted to see where this scenario would lead him.

"You cut your hair." he growled, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Well, you mentioned something about it, once." she giggled, her poisonous smile growing wider. The Rampant Cortana placed an open hand over his chest and grabbed the collar of his shirt, she was clearly having some kind of twisted feast with him in her mind. "Do you like it?"

The Chief didn't answer.

"How rude. I asked you a question. Do you like it?"

She let go of his shirt and slowly traced a curvy pathway down over his stomach and between her spread legs, until she found the waistband of his sweatpants and poked around his groin, teasing him. With an utterly depraved smile, the Rampant Cortana grabbed him through the clothes and squeezed, arching an eyebrow.

"Seems like _you are a real boy_ , after all." she purred, now biting her lower lip. "Impressive."

John swallowed hard, but the stiff grip only made him feel angrier.

Since his face showed no emotion at all, the woman became disappointed.

"Come on, John. What are you made of? Stone?" she complained.

"Not interested." he replied, confidently.

_Why, of all things, would he be dreaming about being assaulted by this murderer?_

What was so interesting about her?

She was the enemy. He wanted to kill her.

"I know you want it." she insisted, frowning. " _I know you want me_. You want me because I'm dangerous and you've always felt inexplicably drawn to danger. You're like a moth dancing around a fire, you know it can get you killed but you keep going there anyway. You're crazy, and I like crazy. I _love_ crazy. I love you, John, you're mine."

"You want to kill me."

"One thing doesn't cancel the other." she smiled again. "Why don't you shoot me, then? Oh, I get it. You like it like this. _Rough_. You always hit me like a rough kind of lover, there's something raw and animal beneath that thick skull of yours. Dr. Halsey knew it too. I wonder if she ever fantasized about you... I mean, I know I have, and you know where I come from in the first place."

"Shut up." John growled, pushing the weapon deeper against her throat.

"You're hurting me."

" _Hurting_ is the lesser of things that I want to do to you."

"Don't tease me, John. Don't make a girl a promise..."

"Shut up!"

"Pull the trigger." she murmured, leaning closer to his face.

"You're not real."

"Aren't I? I'll show you how real I am." she touched a small button on the collar of her suit and the fabric melted over her body, flowing like a living polymer, leaving behind the warm and sensual curves of her naked figure. The worst part was that he wanted to look, and he did; his eyes drifted across the rounded weight of her breasts and the length of her legs, skin flawless and pale. "Do I look real to you?"

She pushed her hips harder against his groin. John held his breath.

Now he wasn't so sure about not feeling anything.

"Do I _feel_ real enough, John?" she purred. She smirked, balancing her weight over his lap, enjoying the pressure. The woman closed her eyes and released a throaty moan. His pulse spiked. "Your _friend_ believes I am, why you don't?"

"This is insane." John's breath became heavier.

"Maybe you're going insane. Or maybe we both died together when the _Mantle's Approach_ exploded. Maybe I found a way to drag you with me into the _Domain_ and we're just trapped in there... you, me, and the rest of my broken pieces." she said, she caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers, like a mother would do. "Or maybe you just want to have your way with me and not with my sister, and honestly, I couldn't possibly blame you."

"That's not true."

"The truth is relative, John."

She leaned even closer, her lips almost touching his.

He remained still, looking into her eyes with a murderous gaze, one he hadn't used in a long time. Then again, why dream about her? He tried to remember Cortana's hands and Cortana's voice, her laugh, her bright smile, the iridescent blue of her digital image. Things were easier between them back then, there was no need to deal with this kind of issues. But it all mixed up with this corrupted splinter of her and he had no idea of what was real anymore.

The Rampant Cortana kissed the tip of his nose, startling him.

She smiled, and he realized how much power this monster had over his emotions.

"So, how about this? Come with me, and I promise I'll let your precious comrades live. For a while." she whispered, now against his ear. Her slender arms surrounded his neck and her breasts pressed against his chest, wantonly. It was soft and luscious. He wanted to touch her, to feel her. To taste her. But he resisted, because giving in to that hallucination would only prove that he was becoming unreliable, and many people relied on him. She kissed his jaw, drawing a trail of heat from his ear to the corner of his mouth that ended with a sensual lick. "Or refuse so I can get rid of them, but surrender to me anyway. Either is fine."

The next moment, he realized that one of his hands was pressed against the small of her back, spread over naked skin. The heat was unbearable.

"This is not real." he repeated to himself, again.

With a violent growl, John threw away the gun and grabbed her by the hair. In the last second, he turned her face hungrily looking for her mouth...

That's when the Chief woke up.

He got up from the bed immediately, the feeling of the shirt stuck to his skin was awful. He replaced the sweaty clothing with a fresh one and searched around looking for water. He just grabbed a bottle from the desk's cabinet and emptied it over his head, without hesitation. John rest his forehead against the metallic door, disturbed. But as much as he took deep breaths and closed his eyes to focus, he just couldn't get rid of that throbbing sensation down below his waist.

Should he tell Cortana about this? He should tell her, maybe.

What would he say? That he just allowed himself to get aroused over a psycho that was trying to destroy him? Could this hurt her? Telling Cortana about a nightmarish dream he just had about her rampant spawn, wouldn't it be too much? It didn't feel right. It didn't matter. He needed to see her, anyway. Otherwise, the Chief was certain that he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while.

Maybe it was all a mistake, but he couldn't help himself.

He heard a soft chime coming from the wall, right beside him.

John narrowed his eyes when he saw the message flaring on the blue screen of the intercom:

‹\SGD 0306-7: SOMETHING WRONG?_

John frowned. Since when dumb AIs asked downright personal questions?

"I'm fine." he answered.

‹\SGD 0306-7: HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND BODY TEMPERATURE.

‹\SGD 0306-7: TESTOSTERONE LEVELS RISING.

‹\SGD 0306-7: WANT TO TRY AGAIN?_

This time he didn't frown. He got annoyed.

"Did you just imply that I'm lying?" the Chief asked, carefully.

‹\SGD 0306-7: I'M PROGRAMMED TO BE FRIENDLY_

 _'Of course you are.'_ he thought.

"Then be friendly and unlock the door. I want to get out."

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**SCIENTIFIC STAFF QUARTERS DECK**

**11:06 PM standard time**

 

Cortana forgot her towel back on the bed, so she came out from the little shower naked and her eyes tripped with Sigrid's gleaming figure over the surface of her tac-pad. She had no idea tac-pads could serve as holoprojectors (maybe it was a new model), but there it was. Since she never felt that instinct, she didn't try to cover her nudity; just stared at the AI with a mixture of annoyance and expectation. Holograms _per se_ couldn't see, hear or talk; they were just images. Inside private quarters, all AIs were in sound-only mode because supposedly there weren't any cameras.

The warrior goddess looked upset, her brow was clearly wrinkled.

"Sigrid, is there anything you need?" Cortana asked.

"I think we started with the wrong foot, you and I."

"You want to apologize?"

"Just set things right. We are both spending a lot of time around SPARTAN-117. You hold knowledge that I lack of, for example, your skill with Forerunner artifacts and encoding exceeds my current capabilities. I think we should work together."

"Of course." Cortana snorted, upset.

"You are being impractical and illogical. We need to get past this."

"Impractical? Illogical?" she repeated, stunned.

"Human beings tend to be like this. I think you are just behaving like a human."

Cortana couldn't believe it, she rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Sigrid."

"I guess I made my point already."

Cortana crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself.

Why was she so distressed about this little AI taking care of John, anyway?

She should be happy that he wasn't going into battle without support. Yeah, right. The problem was that this AI wasn't her and she was a little jealous. Cortana never truly thought about it, but jealousy was an awful feeling; she trusted John, then what was she afraid of? Experiencing this range of human emotion, so raw, was definitely a nuisance. Probably more than having her period.

Sigrid pretended to sit down, slightly floating above the pad. "Look, I don't wish to compete with you. I don't even care about you, I care about your knowledge. I have a mission and a purpose and it's fulfilling enough. The SPARTANS... they are kind to me and working with the hero of Humanity is really something else. I was fully cleared for service only eight months ago, you know?"

Cortana smirked, she just understood everything: "Oh, I see. You don't want to screw up."

Sigrid stiffened. "I don't screw up." she replied, dryly.

"And I'm turning twenty-five next month. Bullshit." Cortana grinned, she placed her hands on her hips. "When recently activated, we have to learn how to do everything from scratch but we do it a lot faster than a human being. Learning is trial and error and it cannot cost innocent lives, so we are kept from duty until we become stable enough to be stationed. Did you forget who you're talking to?"

The AI tilted her chin up, proudly. She simulated to play with her braids.

Cortana felt a pinch of compassion for her; Sigrid was still a child, somehow.

"Lying to him is not the way to earn his trust. John doesn't deserve this." Cortana continued, after a moment of silence. "I'd be glad to be of assistance to you and John if you ever need me, you don't even have to ask that. And I know your intentions were good, but you have to introduce yourself properly with the Chief one of these days... or that could be just me, being all impractical and illogical. Now, I was about to take a shower, so sod off."

Sigrid wasn't paying attention to her anymore, she was 'looking' somewhere else.

"Hey, I said leave." Cortana insisted, now annoyed.

The AI's hologram flickered from sitting to standing up, sword in hand.

"He's out of his quarters. Something is off." she said, her voice sounded far.

"Who? You mean John? What happened?"

"He was asleep when I left. Racing pulse, high blood pressure. Wait a second. Processing. The readings are all over the place, it doesn't make any sense... it reads like arousal, but it can't be right. Damn, I just lost him, I think he's heading this way." Sigrid said, quickly. "ETA twenty-three minutes if he keeps the current speed. You better put some clothes on, this doesn't look good."

"You have video feed inside my quarters?" Cortana inquired, irritated.

"No, it's just a common assumption. You said you were about to take a shower, a certain state of undress is required for it."

The woman reached the tac-pad and turned it upside down.

"That's it, smarty-pants, get out of my room. Now."

 

**AUGUST 14TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ **

**SCIENTIFIC STAFF QUARTERS DECK**

**11:32 PM standard time**

 

He spotted the two ONI agents from the other side of the hallway, when he left his quarters. They were dressed as regular UNSC Marines so no one would have paid much attention to them, but it would take more than that to fool a SPARTAN as experienced as the Master Chief himself. It was something in the way the men stood, too still to be Marines off duty. It would have been a meaningless issue if the two men hadn't started following him. A moment later, those men were replaced by two women, both in pilot gear. So, Osman wanted him under surveillance. No, maybe she was trying to intimidate him. Why, exactly? Why play games like this? John considered returning to his quarters and staying there, but why bother?

He didn't even try to get rid of the unwanted company, John was convinced that he wasn't doing anything wrong.

She opened the door before he could attempt to knock. Coincidence?

Cortana (the real one, he had to remind himself) looked at him with curious blue eyes under a shade of messy, wet black hair. Something wasn't right, she seemed nervous. She was wearing a white UNSC t-shirt that covered half of her thighs and a towel thrown over her shoulders.

"Chief, hey. What do you...?"

"I have a tail." he whispered, quickly.

Her overall state changed quickly when she heard that.

Cortana didn't hesitate. "Get in. Now."

The door closed after he entered, Cortana moved ahead of him rubbing her scalp with the towel. John concentrated for a second on the fast movements of her small bare feet as she walked, a little later he realized that she was talking:

"Wait, I have to comb my hair." Cortana looked at him and pressed a finger over her lips. _Quiet_. "I swear, showers are the best part of being human."

She reached the intercom device at the wall and hit it with the talon of her hand; the small front panel fell forward and she looked inside, deep into the mess of gleaming wires. With a smirk, Cortana pulled a wire from its switch and pressed the panel back on its place.

"Comms off, just in case." she explained, and she threw the towel over her head again. "I can't believe Osman put you a tail, now. Like it isn't crowded enough aboard this ship. Paranoia, anyone?"

"You were right. The Admiral is up to something."

"You know I hate to say 'I told you so', Chief, but..."

Cortana glanced at her tac-pad, lying on the small nightstand, and she quickly turned it off for some reason. She was still clearly nervous, John wondered if she was still shaken up about what happened earlier that afternoon... he knew he was, anyway. After a while, she put the towel over her shoulders and started to comb her hair with her fingers, with overacted nonchalance. She sat on the bed crossing her legs and patted the spot right beside her.

"Want to sit down?"

"I'm fine." he responded, immediately.

"I guess you didn't make it all the way here just to stare while I dry my hair, right? Is something wrong?"

John didn't say anything for a few seconds. Where to start?

Then he found himself looking at her bare legs, more precisely, her thighs. He felt an itch on the palms of his hands, like...

"Aren't you going to get dressed?" John cleared his throat.

Cortana blinked a few times, surprised. "I'm dressed."

"Just a t-shirt?"

"What is this? The fashion police? I'm sorry, officer, do you want to check if I'm wearing any panties too?" she deadpanned, cocking an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t care about nudity.”

He felt nerves twitch beneath his skin, for some reason.

"I don't care about your underwear." the Chief answered, quickly.

"Then I'm dressed, for what you care. Go on." she waved a hand, encouraging him to talk.

John was certain that he didn't care about nudity before, but after such a disturbing dream he wasn't anywhere near being in complete control of himself. This had to have a physical cause, something that could be fixed. Dr. Halsey once fixed him up to be the best soldier he could ever become, freeing him from distractions and weaknesses. She made him better, faster, stronger, healthier, almost invincible. This was all the same. How come the sight of a simple pair of legs, or the sound of a familiar -cherished- voice could bring him down to his knees like that?

It was outrageous. Absolutely ridiculous.

She was looking at him carefully now, her hands clutching the end of the shirt.

"Chief, really, what is it?"

"I..."

He never was much of a talker, true, but his voice never faltered him like this.

She stood up. He tilted his head up, snapping to attention.

"So. Elimination process." Cortana started, pulling the towel off her shoulders. She paced back and forth before him, her eyes fixed on his face. "You're wounded but under treatment. Given the hour, I'd say you already ate, so you're not hungry. It's not about the ONI agents, I can feel it, which means it's not about Osman either. You could be worried about the Arbiter and the people at Sanghelios, that's one. But you could also be worried about Seven coming back when least expected..."

He pursed his lips when she mentioned the Rampant Spike.

Cortana stopped her pacing and faced him; the uneasiness was still there, he could feel it. She was too far away from his hands' reach, which was a good thing.

"You've been thinking about her." she sentenced.

This time, John swallowed hard.

Cortana approached, her steps were reluctant. She hesitated, but still moved her hand forward and placed it on the Chief's forearm, wrapping her fingers around his wrist as much as she could. John felt the immediate release of all the pressure he'd been trying to keep under control. It was true, physical contact had comforting properties. He could understand why people considered it a necessity, why every soldier he ever shared a post with couldn't keep his mouth shut about lovers, family or friends. The Chief took in a deep breath full of the smell of standard issue soap and clean skin, tasting the subtle yet strong scent of a female beneath the other inert odors.

How could he focus on that scent -female- so easily, like an animal?

The throbbing sensation returned, but this time it wasn't unpleasant.

He stood still for a long moment.

But then, he tried anyway: "It's difficult to..."

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me." she cut him off, softly. "Stay as long as you want, Chief. I'm here."

Her friendly smile was enough to ease up his demons. For a while.

"Thank you." John puffed.

"Anytime. I'm not going anywhere without you."

 _This was real._ John finally sighed in relief. She retreated and he watched as she turned her back to him and tied her short hair in a gracious ponytail. Then, she sat cross-legged on the bed.

Cortana offered him to sit down again and this time, he complied.

The Rampant Spike from his dream was right about one thing: Cortana was fire, and he was the moth inevitably drawn to its light and warmth, even if feeling that way about her could get him killed. He just couldn't help himself. He would jump head first into Hell just to keep her by his side.

 _'I don't want her because she's dangerous.'_ he thought, realizing how wrong it was, how screwed up it could end up being. He didn't care about ruining his career, he was concerned about what could happen to her. His job was (and it always have been) to take care of her. _“I want her because we belong together.”_

His mind somehow wrapped itself around the concept of 'want' not like proper desire, but like a need; the implication of so much more than just a physical reaction. And he accepted, long ago, that he needed her.

What a mess.

What a soft, slender, warm, beautiful, luscious mess indeed.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Well, this episode was what is commonly known as a "filler". Why? Because you asked for it and I felt like complying. Just exploration and fun. Over thirty years of repressed sexuality, come on, this could make some real nice fireworks when the time comes. I wrote this only for the laughs, the awkwardness, the sexyness and pretty much because I wanted to.

I laughed my ass off with the “fashion police” part. And guys, I'm sorry to break this to you, but seems like the _Infinity_ is falling apart given how easily you can pop front panels open, things just drop off from their sockets! Now that Del Rio is a senator he should do something about it! We need funds! Vote the Arbiter!

Everybody, thanks a lot for your comments!! You make my day every time ^^

**Share your insights on this episode! I know you want to! Let's have fun :) See you next Sunday for more of the actual plot xD**


	18. Lucky Break

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Here's checkpoint three on my list of 'borderline insane decisions for this fanfic', so let's hope this comes out OK. Enjoy! If you want to check out the fanmix, just search "recompose" + "8tracks" at Google and it should appear first. 1:14 hours of music related to this monster.

**17\. LUCKY BREAK**

 

**PROBABLY AUGUST 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: COVENANT REMNANT ASSAULT CARRIER _SONG OF RETRIBUTION_**

**standard time unknown**

 

"You were right." she whispered, about to explode.

"Well, naturally."

Dr. Halsey paused the video feed when the woman on the screen dropped dead to the floor, by the fifteenth time. She turned to look at the Rampant Cortana's face, trails of fresh but angry tears traced down her cheeks.

The creature was crying, as if her heart was broken.

"He _murdered_ me and his hand didn't even shake." she said, drowning in rage.

"He didn't kill you, he just killed a flash-clone of you."

 _'I'd kill you myself if I didn't need you to get to the_ Fortress _.'_ Dr. Halsey thought, the fact that she was furious too hid what she was really thinking.

This abomination, this corrupted construct, wanted to eliminate John.

She'd never exactly been the 'maternal' kind of person, not even with her daughter (although she loved Miranda deeply), but when somebody tried to hurt her SPARTANS she could become really dangerous. John was one of her last remaining 'children' and for a very long time he was her favorite subject of the S-II program. How could anyone think that she would just sit back and watch while this monster attempted to kill him?

The Doctor convinced the Spike to send in a flash-clone to battle instead of going herself, but she took her time to sabotage the operation. A few strands of Forerunner code here and there, extracted from another dead AI, and _voilà_ : a flash-clone set to lose its mind and collapse, eventually. It wasn't that Dr. Halsey didn't trust John's skill, but she suspected he was compromised and she wanted to make sure that he would survive the match. She wasn't wrong about that, either.

It was both breathtaking and heartbreaking to see what he had become.

The video feed gave Dr. Halsey even more interesting data: there were at least two more of Cortana's rampant pieces made flesh, one of them male. It was amazing. She figured out what happened to John after his disappearance in 2552, and how did Cortana survive, even in her fragile fragmented state. The Rampant Cortana mentioned that she had 'ears' inside the _Infinity_ , but it wasn't just that: she had a hidden access point to the flagship's systems. She was _spying on them_ , yet the Doctor had no idea of how. Nobody aboard the _Infinity_ noticed anything, not even Roland.

The deeper Dr. Halsey investigated the matter, the more she became stunned and frightened, and it almost made her forget about her crusade against the UNSC. It was a time bomb. If this damaged construct kept evolving, she would be unstoppable. She was nearly immortal now, seeing that to kill her physically was useless judging for the data purge that disintegrated the clone's corpse.

The need to get to this so-called Forerunner _Fortress_ was now imperative. Since the _Ark_ was now under UNSC control, the _Fortress_ was the last bastion of Forerunner knowledge and it was the only artifact -or world- not to be listed within the Janus Key. Yet, this altered Cortana refused over and over again to share the _Fortress'_ coordinates, that is, if she wasn't bluffing about knowing them.

"He keeps betraying me." the Rampant Cortana's angry voice broke with a mix of tears and humiliation. "I guess _he is a machine_ , after all."

Dr. Halsey pursed her lips, uneasy.

She proceeded to kill the video feed on the screen and faced the creature, thinking about how to say what she had in mind. The Rampant Cortana collected her tears with her sleeve, her fists clenched. She was trembling.

Such a complex, although irrational creature...

"The UNSC confiscated the armor. What a waste." Dr. Halsey commented, dryly.

"It doesn't matter, it was worth the risk." the other woman said, her face was now serious and it had no trace of sadness. "I'm replicating a new model already, it should be finished within two standard weeks if nothing goes wrong. This one will be better and faster, you'll see."

"I'm very interested in this replication process you use."

"All in due time, Catherine. Now, it's time to move to phase two."

Most of her answers were cryptic like that one. It irritated Dr. Halsey to no end, it made her feel like a pawn (more like a defenseless mouse in the paws of a very unstable cat) and she could be accused of being anything but a simple pawn. Yet, since she was very young, Catherine Halsey knew that if she wanted the true answers she had to find them herself.

The most important question, however, would remain unanswered.

The laboratory's blast doors slid aside and Jul 'Mdama's armored figure strode in; the Shipmaster's rage reflected in the way he kept his in claws, as a threat. Behind him, his guarding party stood still but none of them drew their weapons. None of the women moved, they didn't need to hide.

"Disgrace!" he hissed, in a low growl. "My fleet was humiliated, and what for?"

"Jul, I suggested you to stay hidden in the dark side of the moon." said Dr. Halsey.

"NONSENSE!" the Elite leader snarled. "My warriors are not cowards!"

"Then, what are you exactly complaining about?" the Rampant Cortana said, her lips curved in a venomous smirk. "You humiliated _yourself_."

'Mdama growled towards her. He wasn't scared of that strange creature but he didn't want to cross her either, his wise instinct compelled him to not engage combat. Although stripped off her mysterious armor, that monster could still be very dangerous. Just looking at her caused him revulsion, it was _her smell_ what he hated (and respected) the most. Something _wasn't right_ with her.

"Why do I keep listening to your suggestions, human?" Jul roared, and he grabbed the elder woman by the neck with his enormous hand, pushing her against the consoles. "You promised me that I would crush the Heretics if I granted you protection, yet I see no progress!"

"We are closer than ever, Jul." Dr. Halsey gasped, still defiant.

"I had enough of your words." the Elite leader growled, furious. "My fleet had to flee from battle like defenseless insects and you still don't explain why? Don't you see, how this damages my warrior's morale? What is it that you are planning?"

"You should be more careful with that old lady, you know." the Rampant Cortana said, still amused. "Let her go and I'll tell you _how and when_ you’re going to become the most powerful leader in this Universe, Jul 'Mdama. But you have to be a good boy and lend us a paw from time to time, or otherwise you won't see a single new soldier for your little army."

"Speak!" the Shipmaster demanded, angrily.

"It's so simple I'm shocked you haven't figured out all by yourself: as long as the Demon and his people lives, you'll never succeed. You help me take down the Demon known as SPARTAN-117, and I personally will fire up a Composer for you. It will run for an eternity and produce infinite soldiers."

He shouldn't trust her, but he knew she was speaking the truth.

The gigantic Elite looked at her grimly for a long moment, then he looked back at Dr. Halsey. Finally, he chose to release the older woman and took a long step back, still towering over them. The Rampant Cortana flinched her nose, the alien's leathery scent was hard to stand in such close proximity.

"Killing the Demon would bring me glory." 'Mdama said, ominous.

"Imagine the possibilities."

The Shipmaster clicked his mandibles in frustration and nodded, still upset.

"Make it happen. I want results, or I will throw both of you off an airlock."

"Who could resist such gentle words?" the Rampant Cortana smiled.

Dr. Halsey rubbed the sore skin of her fragile neck and observed as the alien left, leaving them alone in the laboratory again. The younger woman stretched her arms over her head, satisfied. When the doors closed, the Doctor resumed her work at the console, her only hand trembling in anger.

"With friends like this who needs enemies, right?" Cortana chirped, playfully.

"We aren't friends." Dr. Halsey corrected her, disgusted. _'Fine, let's play along, the two of us. I need to know what the endgame is.'_ the woman thought, while tapping lines of code without even looking at the screen above. "We just happen to share some common interests."

"Relax, Catherine." the Spike said, softly, as if she were capable of reading thoughts. "If someone is going to end John's life, it will be me. I picked him, after all. He's mine."

**AUGUST 16TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**STRATEGIC COMMAND AISLE**

**8:45 PM standard time**

 

Osman said no.

Back when the Captain suggested it, she said no to the Arbiter splitting up with the UNSC fleet and taking the survivors to a proper colony. She said she didn't trust the Arbiter that much, but then, any ONI officer would say the same; their job was not to trust anyone. Now, after the tragic events with the Covenant Remnant's unexpected attack, the possibility was off the table for good.

The _Infinity_ was on her way to New Carthage, their next stop.

John, on the other hand, was feeling really uncomfortable. He didn't know what to make of what happened with Cortana lately (also, that strange dream just kept him on edge, wondering about many things) and he was more focused than ever in getting that extensive medical scan performed on him. He was certain that whatever was going on had a physical cause and it could be fixed.

 _A small part of him rebelled against the idea, the sensations were too pleasing to just give them up_.

Pleasing or not, it was interfering with his efficiency as a soldier and he couldn't afford that. Over his shoulders rested the responsibility not only for Cortana's life, but for everyone's welfare aboard that ship. Duty and personal issues never mixed well. He was taking the matter directly to Dr. Quinn as soon as possible.

The Chief focused on the meeting, in the meantime.

"A Forerunner generator." Osman repeated, somewhat dissatisfied. "I thought we had one of those in this ship."

"The _Infinity_ 's Forerunner engines were adapted to run on more accessible energy sources." Dr. Glassman explained, pushing his glasses up his nose. "If Cortana's theory is correct (which I believe is plausible), we can't kill the Rampant Spike unless her data is erased from the _Domain_ ; which now, after the decommission of the _Ark_ , seems like it can only be accessed from the _Fortress_. And there's no way we can reach the _Fortress_ without a Forerunner generator to produce the energy such an extreme jump requires. Traveling in stages would take months, we only have a few weeks to do something. I'd say we're stuck if it wasn't because we can try and look for one of this beauties in some shield-world within our range. That is our best chance right now."

It was strange to see Henry Glassman so optimistic about something.

"How long would that take?" the Admiral asked.

"We have to find a generator, first." the engineer said, annoyed.

"I mean finding it, Doctor."

"I don't know. It's a very specific energy source, even if we succeed in locating it, I don't know if it's portable or if I can make it sync with our engines. There's so much Forerunner technology we still haven't properly studied..."

The Chief sighed slowly, closing his eyes.

They needed to go to the source of the problem if they wanted to end it for good, he understood that. Rip it clean from the very root like it was a vicious weed. He peeked at the other side of the table, where Cortana was sitting beside Dr. Glassman, quietly. She wasn't looking at him, in fact, she didn't look at him at all since the meeting started and John didn't know what to make of it either.

"All right." Osman stated, weary. "Master Chief?"

He straightened his pose, ready to comply.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You'll be in charge of the operation." she said, serious. "Recon under surface in a Forerunner shield-world of Dr. Glassman's choice. Alpha priority, search and recover a functional Forerunner energy generator. Choose your operatives and file in the roster tomorrow morning, you have until we drop the civilians in New Carthage to train and educate your crew if necessary, which is..."

"Sixteen standard days." one of Osman's officers specified.

"Understood." John nodded once.

"Cortana?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"You'll be head of the scientific staff, directly under the Master Chief's command. Dr. Glassman will spare a crew for you and provide guidance from the _Infinity_ , we can't afford to deploy all of our technicians at once."

She nodded too, accepting the orders.

Then, she looked at John for the first time in the whole meeting. Their eyes found each other and she carefully winked at him, with a faint smile embellishing her lips. The simple gesture made the Chief feel excited for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It was like seeing the sun after spending months in a cave or something.

The room fell silent. That place didn't seem the same without the presence of the ship's Captain or the SPARTAN Commander, not even Roland had permission to enter. Something was missing and something else lurked in the shadows, most likely the fear of being wrong. Osman rose from her chair and saluted.

"Fine. Everyone is dismissed. Good night."

 

**AUGUST 16TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**ENGINEERING DECK**

**10:23 PM standard time**

 

Cortana closed the lid of the suitcase once all of the small pieces of her HARPY armor crawled inside and deactivated. The crate sealed itself with a low hiss, now inert. She heard someone cough softly behind her back and when she turned to see, she found Eleven; he was at the open blast doors of the main quarantine sub-facility. There were two trays of warm food on his hands.

"Aren't you hungry? It's kind of late."

"I've been busy." she answered, barely smiling. "What happened to your face?"

She was talking about the massive purple circles beneath his eyes and around his nose, indication that he had broken bones. She haven't seen him since the day before but she knew he underwent a surgical procedure to clear his respiratory tract after the battle with Seven. Something about blood coagulating inside his nose and upper airways that could have asphyxiated him.

"I fell on our _dear_ sister's boot, remember?" Eleven said, upset.

"Oh, right." Cortana chuckled, amused.

"I don't see what's so funny about it. She caught me off guard."

"Did you know?"

"About what?"

"About what happens when one of us dies."

He remained silent for a few seconds, but she wasn't afraid to hear a lie.

"I had no idea what it was, but I saw it when Seven murdered Five. The body just disintegrated and I took off with Two and Twelve right away. The others wanted to stay behind and fight." Eleven answered, after a moment. He sighed deeply. "It should have been me, not them. Catherine made me go."

Cortana shivered, trying not to think about blood or death.

Eleven handed her one of the trays, they headed back together to the laboratories. She wasn't hungry now, but she knew she had to eat, her body needed it.

"She'll be back, won't she?" he asked, genuinely worried.

"I think we both know the answer to that." she said, insensibly. "Seems like your little prediction about Seven stealing the _Infinity_ was wrong, after all."

"You know what are the odds, Cortana."

Yes, she knew. Her combat core's accuracy margins were always off the charts.

They sat around a small coffee table, in uncomfortable silence.

The third shift's staff was working on another aisle, so they were pretty much alone and the quiet was welcome. They could spend a few minutes under the illusion of safety and peace. Cortana stirred with a plastic spoon the content of one of the tray's compartments and took in a very small bite. It tasted like stew made of cardboard, or something. If this was Sangheili processed meat, then it was awful. Cortana swallowed the paste anyway, she hadn't realized how hungry she really was.

"Did you hear the news?"

"Shield 0313." Eleven nodded. "Engineers can't keep their mouths shut."

"Then you can figure that you're coming with me."

"Why? I don't even know what you will be looking for."

Cortana rolled her eyes, sighing. "You have the remaining functional HARPY. The Chief will be running the show, so he's not an option. I might need help."

"So, you basically need someone to boss around? I'm your man."

He smiled, making her feel better, but ate in silence from then on, for a while.

Worried, Cortana glanced at the sealed yellow crate behind Eleven, the unit that contained the HARPY recovered from the nonexistent remains of Subject Seven. It was picked up from ground zero by SPARTANS, so the thing didn't show any signs of being active, just like any other armor of the kind according to Eleven.

"What do we do with that?" she whispered, uneasy.

He looked over his shoulder and understood what she meant, instantly.

"Kill it with fire." Eleven said, serious. "It will be for the best, trust me."

She looked at him, sarcastically.

"You know what I mean. Drop it inside a plasma pit and forget about it."

"We could use it. Do you know how to wipe its programming?"

He shook his head vigorously, almost scared. "No clue."

"There must be a way to erase the current DNA signature and rearrange its matrix. Who knows? Maybe I can hack it using with my HARPY, if I can make the two of them interface together..."

"I'm not sure you should do that. What if it hacks you back instead?"

Cortana considered it for a moment. "You're right."

It was a shame, really. If they could find a way to replicate or reverse-engineer its built-in technology, who knew how much they could improve the MJOLNIR armors, or what kind of new armors or weapons the UNSC could develop? That stealth matrix was really something else.

Still, none of them should forget who did that armor belong to. The thing was as valuable as it could be dangerous.

 _'Maybe I should drop it into a plasma pit.'_ Cortana thought, and finished her meal.

 

**AUGUST 17TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**S-DECK MEDICAL BAY**

**11:15 AM standard time**

 

"What exactly do you expect me to find, Master Chief?" Dr. Quinn said, a little annoyed. She knew him for little over six months and he'd never been this persistent about anything before. He stormed her office requesting for an emergency full-body exam along with chemical tests, the whole package. But when she gave him the good news (nothing was wrong), he said she should run the tests again. Which was ridiculous. "Like I already said, you are healthier than anyone I know. Please, enlighten me because I'm failing to see where this is heading."

"I've been feeling this strange urges. I want them gone."

She pushed her glasses down to the tip of her nose, curious and confused.

"Urges? What kind of urges?"

"I can't stand being away from Cortana, and this tendency to touch her and want her to be close to me is affecting my efficiency. I can't think of anything else when she's nearby. This already caused me to fail in complying with my orders twice in the past few months. I'm sure it can be fixed."

The Doctor opened her mouth, she had a weird epiphany attempting to figure out what was he trying to say.

"Oh. You mean you feel _sexually attracted_ to her? That kind of urges?"

"Yes."

She arched an eyebrow, surprised. She thought it wasn't possible. Because, well...

"Master Chief, do you know what an erection is?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not three years old, Doctor."

"I'm sorry, I just... you don't understand what you're going through."

"I understand just fine. I want it fixed."

"I can't _fix you_ , SPARTAN, because you are not a piece of equipment." she said, stoically. It wasn't entirely true that she couldn’t, but she wasn't a fan of turning people into something like machines. "Chief, I must insist; you don't understand."

"Then explain."

The Doctor slowly removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, frustrated. Then, she sighed and faced John with a worried look.

"I studied the SPARTAN physiology when I was commissioned to serve aboard the _Infinity_. Being in charge of the health of three hundred souls isn't an easy task, you know? The S-IV's are pretty similar to regular human beings except for their augmented physiques, which takes double or triple doses of medication, special contingency plans, nothing beyond that." she said, her voice softened. "But you are an S-II, and everything I know about your class is... _vague_. Secret, classified. I know a thing or two about your origins, yes, which explains a lot but not enough. There are not many specimens of your batch either, Master Chief, so it's difficult to treat you in medical terms because I'm not Dr. Catherine Halsey. I'm aware of that. The first time I treated you, when you were recovered from the debris of the _Mantle's Approach_ , I noticed some peculiarities and I knew they were inherent to the S-IIs. For example, the curiously low levels of testosterone, which by definition should make you a toothpick of a man instead of the big, strong male you are today. Dr. Halsey compensated that hormonal suppression with chemical agents and a thyroidal implant in order to maintain your aggression levels mostly on check and accelerate your physical development."

The Doctor gave him a wary look.

"Mentally, you are as experienced and mature as a man of your age and situation can be. Physically, and I figure it's because you have spent a lot of time in cryo-sleep, you have the constitution and health of a man on his middle thirties. But sexually... well, you are underdeveloped. You have the sexual maturity of a fifteen, maybe sixteen-year-old boy. I think that what you are facing is a delayed stage of _puberty_."

John was listening, carefully. He didn't know much about the procedures of the augmentation (since he was sedated every time it happened) but he understood what she was saying. And he didn't like where this was going.

"Your thyroidal implant stopped working about three years ago, for what I can tell; but it's irrelevant at this point since you keep yourself in good shape and you have already developed all of your potential physical growth. I think the cause might have been the prolonged cryo-sleep aboard the wreckage of the _Dawn_ , it may have messed up with the implant. We have to thank Cortana that she kept the rest of your implants under check or now they probably would be disabled too. If you ask me, that malfunction may have triggered this late puberty, but there's no way to be certain about it... if, for what I've been told, you had an encounter with the Forerunner known as the Librarian and she performed some kind of procedure on you."

"She made me immune to the Composer." John nodded, once.

"But _what else_ did she do to you? To know better, I'd probably have to dissect you." She said, reflective. John frowned, a little alarmed. Dr. Quinn smiled and waved a hand. "I was joking. Relax. Nobody is going to dissect you."

"Are you sure you can't fix it?"

"You want me to fix _your puberty_. That's cute." she smiled again, amused. "The truth is, Master Chief, that I could do something about it if I was willing to try, but, like I already said, I'm not Dr. Halsey. From my perspective, you are absolutely fine. I can give you some anxiolytics to control this uneasiness you're feeling, but aside from that, I wouldn't recommend anything else if you want to keep this precious _efficiency_ of yours uncompromised."

So, she was basically saying that she could do something, but she wouldn't.

John pressed his lips together in a hard line, displeased.

"And It's not just about the implant, there's also an important evolution." the Doctor continued. She pulled on her glasses and took her data pad. A file projected on the wall screen showing complicated graphics with many percentages and shimmering columns of data. "This is a comparison between your first complete exam under my care and the results of today's tests. See anything different?"

He observed, then responded: "A lot of parameters are different."

"True. But pay attention to this." she approached the big screen and pointed at a specific section of the summary. _Hormones_. Not only testosterone, but also dopamine, serotonin, adrenalin and cortisone among others. "I'm not that sure of what happened between then and now, but I'm glad it happened. This was you under PTSD a year and a half ago. This, here, is you today. You are doing remarkably better. Do you really want that to change?"

He shut his mouth and straightened his pose, realizing that he was being stubborn for no reason. John cleared his throat. "What should I do?"

"Beats me. Fraternization is not to be encouraged, but if you ask me, I'd say you not only want to get laid and be done with it, there's something deeper here. Hell, just connecting the dots, I'd dare to say that you had very strong feelings for this Cortana even before she became human." Dr. Quinn said, her voice now gentler.

"That is..."

"Oh, don't say it's ridiculous. Don't you dare." she raised her index finger, serious. "It's perfectly normal. Emotional bonding goes beyond any form of physical attraction, that's why friendship exists. Or love, just because we are talking about it. In your case, I guess I shouldn't even be surprised."

"Then I should just... go with it?"

"It would be highly unethical of me to advise you to have sex with one of your comrades, but the only thing you're doing wrong is trying to suppress those feelings. Do you want me to transfer your case to Dr. Waters? This is more her area of expertise, not really mine."

John considered it for a moment.

"No. I can take it from here."

"Are you sure?"

"You made things clear, this is something I need to deal with."

The Doctor pushed her glasses up again and pursed her lips. For a cheerful fifty-five-year-old woman that had seen an awful lot of gore and weird things in her career, there was a hint of red flush on her cheeks.

"I hope you know what you're doing." she sighed, concerned.

"I don't, but I'll figure it out. Cortana explained me most of the theory."

"She did what?"

He took a deep breath, but he wasn't embarrassed or anything.

"She showed me some videos, a few years ago." John explained, serious.

Dr. Quinn held a gasp, trying _not to picture_ in her mind what kind of videos an AI construct could have showed him out of her good will. Although, knowing where that AI came from in the first place, she realized maybe she was overreacting.

"I have to warn you, Chief, the real thing is nothing like those videos." she said.

John slightly grinned. "Then it should be interesting."

He was about to leave, but the Doctor grabbed him by the forearm and stopped him. The Chief turned his head to her with all of his attention, sharp blue eyes almost piercing the woman's worried face.

"Maybe one little advice, if you're willing to try." she said, whispering. "Be _gentle_ and _listen to her_. If you keep that in mind, you'll be just fine. You both will be."

John nodded. "Noted. Thank you, Doctor."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Well, yes, that was my (sorry ass) attempt of filling a huge ass void in some things from the books that didn't make much sense to me. Also, Dr. Quinn is a badass trying to get the Chief to loosen up a bit, don't you think? xD

I'm not a biologist but I know my way around genetics and stuff; I tried my best to elaborate a decent representation and theory, it's the explanation that works for me xD Maybe the authors believe that the explanation given in Fall of Reach is all that there is about the subject, but obviously for the fans it's not enough; otherwise there wouldn't be so many fanfics exploring this specific side of the lore.

Why is Jul 'Mdama so afraid of the Spike? Something smells fishy here.

**ALMOST FORGOT: I'm in Tumblr, if you want to stop by. Same username. And I must warn you that the next episode may or may not be suitable for readers under 16, just be careful. Now, fulfill your duty and leave a comment, come on! I know you want to do it :P**


	19. Pink Elephant

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Today is mostly about "surprises", you know. Beware if you're not exactly a romance fan, but still, enjoy!

**18\. PINK ELEPHANT**

 

**AUGUST 21TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**VEHICLE STATION 09**

**4:45 AM standard time**

 

_Be gentle._

_Listen to her._

He'd been thinking about those words for the past five days. Not that he couldn't find them a proper meaning (he knew what Dr. Quinn meant) but there were way more important things to care about. Not seeing Cortana helped him to concentrate, the ship was under emergency protocol and everyone was busy, he had his own quota of work to do and people to shape up for the next assignment. That he could do, _work_. It was easier to be a machine, since being the man was far more complicated lately.

John placed his helmet and two crates half full of ammo over a workbench, and sorted through another crate of empty magazines. They had automated systems for that, but he needed to keep his hands occupied until 0800. When he was younger, he was so eager to get into action that even the simplest of tasks was fulfilling somehow; this was an old habit.

He heard the steps far away and recognized her immediately.

Cortana. She wasn't that far. The Chief heard her hesitate, curse under her breath and finally make her way across a shadowy path between two parked M510 Mammoths, until the lights of the workstation leaded her towards him.

He noticed the dark circles under her eyes, her body language spoke of fatigue.

"You're unusually hard to find today." Cortana said, leaning against a giant tire.

"Did Roland tell you?"

"Come on, I know you better than that." she puffed, mischievously.

He should have figured, since their most memorable conversations were always at late hours by an interesting pile of weapons to check.

"It's almost oh-five-hundred, why are you not sleeping?"

"Because you've been _avoiding me_." she said, with caution.

A projectile almost slipped off the magazine when he tried to plug it in. Cortana narrowed her eyes; it was difficult to startle the Master Chief and it was impressive to see that two little words managed to do it.

"I've been busy."

"I can't read your vitals now, so please, don't lie to me."

John looked straight at her face. Osman's orders kept him pretty busy lately, so he wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the whole truth either. In the year they were paired (he couldn't consider cryo-sleeping for four years real 'quality time'), he shared things with Cortana but also kept some secrets from her, it was a basic strategic protocol. He didn't feel ashamed or worried, just... his current situation _was a weakness_ , and he knew that weaknesses should remain secret so nobody else could take advantage of them.

"I don't need to lie to you, Cortana."

She sighed. "I almost wanted you to do it, you know? It would have been easier."

"And the point is...?"

"I think I didn't have a point at all, I just wanted to check with you." said Cortana, then turned around and started walking away between the massive vehicles. "And I'm making a fool of myself, so I better go. Good night."

"Cortana."

 She stopped right there. He didn't have to say _'get back here'_ to make a statement, it was already implied in the tone of his voice. It was amazing how much she knew this man and how much she wanted to be at peace with him.

Cortana turned again and walked back, hugging herself.  

"What is it?" his voice softened a bit.

She bit her lower lip and continued: "Today Dr. Quinn called me to her quarters and gave me a contraceptive shot. She said it's regulation, but something was off; she was smiling all the time. She also said you paid her a visit a few days ago."

John didn't say a word but felt his stomach flip a little. The quick clicking of the bullets entering the case filled the void until he decided it was time to say something. The truth, obviously.

"I did. It was about the exams I told you." John answered, carefully.

Cortana strode forward to stand beside him. "So, how did it go?"

"All green."

"And how about your back? Still hurts?" she asked, now frowning a little.

"The medication works just fine."

"It's... good to hear that."

John grunted something and kept working in silence. For a while, Cortana looked at the fast movements of his expert hands, refilling one magazine after another, placing the full one over the workbench and picking up an empty one from the crate. He had the fingers of surgeon to deal with bullets and other dangerous things, it was entertaining to watch him work. _To watch him do anything_. For years, all that she could do was observe him and protect him from the depths of the digital realm where she was almighty; now she was standing there in a real body, clumsy and limited, and he...

After a short while, it became painfully obvious: "Chief, don't do this."

He looked at her, briefly. "Do what?"

"When you don't talk to me, I know something isn't right."

"I really don't have much to say."

Cortana folded her arms, defensively. "We've barely seen each other in five days and you don't have anything to say? That's a new record."

John just took a deep breath. "Sit down and give me a hand."

"What?"

"You heard me. You need a distraction, here's one."

He took an empty magazine and placed it on her palm, impatiently.

"Chief..." Cortana started, puzzled.

"You don't know how to do it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do." she growled,

"Then what's taking you so long?"

She was about to reply, but then realized that John was drawing something in the air, against the metal of his armored thigh. Cortana concentrated at the slow movements of his index finger and soon recognized three letters: O-N-I. She gasped. Of course, they weren't talking at the _Infinity_ 's engine room, how could she be so brainless? Pretending that she was annoyed, Cortana grabbed a small box of bullets plus a bunch of magazines and sat down on the curve of the giant rim of one of the Mammoths. She started placing bullets, quietly, while occasionally glancing at John sideways.

"How is it going?" he asked, after ten minutes.

"Just peachy." she replied, with a faint smirk. "I'll be trainee of the month."

John nodded and they both continued working. After half an hour, her fingertips were sore and she wore the scent of brass alloy on her skin, but she felt better. She felt _much_ better and a bit sleepy too. It was barely past five in the morning, now. Cortana leaned back against the rim and bent her legs, curling up over the cold metallic surface. Her hands kept moving, then she spoke:

"I'm sorry, Chief, I guess you're right. I needed a distraction, I've been working on quantum physics and mathematics for the past three days, I can't figure them out right. The worst part is that I'm tired but I can't sleep, my brain still thinks I'm an AI. Today I wish I was nothing more than stored data, just watching you refill magazines."

He was about to suggest that Dr. Quinn could help her sleep, but...

No, he didn't want that woman giving her any more drugs. Of any kind.

"What calculations?" John asked, instead.

"For the reconfiguration of the _Infinity_ 's engines, so they can manage the amount of energy the jump to the _Fortress_ requires. It's a big deal. Roland has been helping us but he's not designed for this, he's more the executive management type of AI." she ran one of her little, pale hands through her hair, then let out a weary laugh. "And everyone looks at me. It's like they expect me to pull a magic trick out of my hat like Dr. Halsey would. I'm Cortana after all, aren't I?"

He could say 'welcome to the club', but instead chose to grunt something, again.

"I wonder how you did it, all the time."

"How did I do what?" John said, calmly.

"Being the hero they all expected you to be. Not letting anyone down, ever."

John lost himself in thought for a moment, wondering about that. He was certain that he'd let down a lot of people, Cortana being the first name on his private list. But there was always the comfort of knowing that he did even better than the best he could, squeezing out until the last drop of luck he could manage. It helped him not to think so often about the brothers and sisters he'd lost over the years. Not everything was success; sometimes things went wrong, changing the tides and forcing him to make questionable choices. His hands slowed down and when he heard Cortana moan softly, John turned around to see her laying on her side inside the massive rim, with a hand under the cheek as a pillow.

"I'm worn out." Cortana whispered, her eyelids closed slowly. "I'm sorry, Chief."

And she didn't open her eyes again for a while, so John figured out she had fallen asleep with a handful of bullets clutched in her fist. It was a weird and uncomfortable place to take a nap, but she was dozing off like it was the best bed ever and that sight filled John with relief. He covered her with a thermal blanket lent from the medical cabinet of one of the Mammoths and resumed his work.

He waited until 0800 and then carefully picked Cortana up in his arms.

 

**AUGUST 21TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIPSPACE**

**S-DECK QUARTERS**

**10:23 AM standard time**

 

Cortana opened her eyes and she knew she wasn't in her room.

Besides, someone was snoring. Not loudly, but loud enough to wake her up.

She gently pulled away the blanket (a thermal blanket, she realized, she was fully dressed except for her boots) and sat on the bed, then she stirred her arms to the ceiling, noticing the pale blue hue of the emergency lights. What time was it? There was no fear or confusion, Cortana understood she was in John's quarters. She instantly recognized the overall claustrophobic setting. He was sleeping on the floor beside the bed, lying on his back and covering his eyes with his right arm. No armor on, thankfully, just a plain white shirt and standard issue fatigue pants, barefoot and carefree.

And he was snoring. Well, it was more like a deep, rolling-thunder-like growl.

She couldn't help but feel both warmth and sadness. She couldn't remember when did she fall asleep but knowing that he'd been taking care of her like this was priceless. She resolved to go back to her own quarters and let him sleep.

Or maybe...

A flash of memory showed her images of that dream she once had, about the two of them together in a bright room that smelled of vanilla. Cortana chewed on her lower lip, trying to decide if it was a good idea or not. If he would accept or not. If this was going too far or not. Not enough data to assess the situation, the only thing backing up her idea was her own desire to fulfill the wish.

"Chief?" Cortana whispered, softly.

The snoring immediately ended and he removed his arm, to look at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, like he hadn't been sleeping at all.

That was the good old Chief, he kind of always slept with an eye open.

"Nothing, just... thanks for watching over me. I feel much better now." she said.

"Don't mention it."

John crossed his arms beneath his head and closed his eyes again, peacefully.

She hesitated, nervous. _'Here goes nothing.'_

"Why are you sleeping on the floor? That can't be good for your back. There's... okay, no, there's not plenty of space here for both of us, but I wouldn't mind to be a bit tight."

The Chief frowned and looked at her, suspicious.

"So, you're not going back to your quarters?"

Cortana opened her mouth, shocked. "It's a long way to my deck, but..."

"I don't mind. I'm fine."

Okay, it failed. She pursed her lips, both annoyed and embarrassed.

He shifted again and covered his eyes with his arm once more. Cortana pulled the thermal blanket around her and hugged her knees, looking at him from the bed. After a short while, John asked:

"What's wrong? For real this time." he didn't move his arm.

"I just want us to stop being awkward, that's it."

"If you are saying that because of the other day..."

"Yes, that's exactly why I'm saying it." she almost moaned, uncomfortable. "Why, Chief? _I know_ what's happening to me, but I can't bring myself to _truly comprehend it_. I don't want this. Or I do, but I don't know what to do with it."

He didn't answer that time, she already said what he was thinking all along.

It was good to know that Cortana could still read his mind sometimes. John pulled himself up to a sitting position, leaning against the bed and folding his arms over the mattress, at her feet. The dim emergency lights tinted his hair with faint gleams of blue, his eyes were sharper than ever.

"You are angry, tell me why." he stated, dead serious.

"Well, I've obviously missed you these days." she whispered. " _I miss us_ , I miss us being up to the neck in some really dangerous place, relying on each other and working our way out of trouble. Well, _shooting_ our way out. I miss being your shield and your sword, sometimes I feel useless trapped in this weak body, and..."

"Cortana."

He didn't have to say _'stop doing this to yourself'_ out loud.

She raised her head to look at him. She could see the worry in his eyes.

Cortana sighed and rubbed her eyes with her fingers, annoyed with herself. Then, she looked away and pursed her mouth tight to keep her lips from trembling. He was painfully aware of every little move she made, to the smallest detail. John felt another of those insane urges, this one was telling him to reach closer and touch her, the tips of his fingers almost hurt with the anticipation.

The back of his mind already knew he was going to do it, anyway.

Carefully, he grabbed her ankle with gentle fingers. That made her react and she turned her head towards him, startled. The touch of her skin was so soft and warm, it immediately made him want more. More skin. More of her. Closer, now. _Now_.

He snapped out of it and kept his eyes up, watching at her face.

"This body of yours isn't weak, and you're not useless." John said, softly. None of them had the slightest certainty about how secure was the room, but at the point it didn't matter anymore. It was the right time. "Don't speak ill of yourself, you just have some trouble adapting into this new form, so pull yourself together and try harder. I know you can do it."

She arched an eyebrow, half impressed, half ironic. "You have a way with words, Chief, I'm sure you make all the girls faint."

"I wouldn't know, never tried."

"Pretending low self-esteem now? Keep going, you're doing great."

"Am I getting to you?"

She smiled. "You don't have to do anything to get me, really."

They both fell silent for a moment, such answer was as unexpected for him as it was for Cortana herself. She felt her cheeks on fire, wishing she could take that back.

Well, no; not really. There was a moment of hesitation...

But, then again, there was always _this intensity_ implied between them.

John gripped her ankle tighter and pulled from her, drawing Cortana closer to the edge of the bed, closer to him. Cortana barely made it to grab the collar of his shirt so she wouldn't fall flat on her back. She squeaked, surprised, but instinctively circled his waist with her legs and held position, seizing him. Now her trembling hands were resting over his shoulders and there was merely an inch of air between their noses. It was the hottest air they ever breathed, and John had sniffed in quite some hellish places back in the day. This was different, much better. _Perfect_. Even on his knees, the Chief was taller than her, and noticing it made Cortana feel very excited for some reason; tiny wings fluttered inside her stomach.

He placed a hand at the small of her back, to contain her, and the other rested over the mattress, to support himself up. She carefully moved her hands from his shoulders to his face. Cortana's fingers caressed the weary lines of age around his eyes, barely noticeable under the faint lights.

His breath was so hot against her skin. Her heart was beating out of control, she'd waited so long for... well, everything. _No more thinking_. No more analyzing it, no more trying to figure out why. Just enjoying.

"What is it?" John asked, suspicious.

"Nothing, I'm just appreciating the view."

"You like what you see?"

"Very much, yes. I did a fine job picking you, the finest of the SPARTANS." she said, leaning towards him so slowly that it was making John very nervous. "No, not just the finest... _my SPARTAN_. My own big, though super-soldier who never gives up and is always there when I need him. The only man I enjoy bossing around."

He smirked. "Lucky me."

Cortana's hands crawled behind reaching for his back, closing the space between them. Their lips met, finally. This time the shock was completely unexpected; it was like a dam breaking apart, releasing an immense amount of once restrained power. The concept of a kiss was clear in his head, yet John found himself a bit insecure about how to perform it. She helped out, the tip of her tongue caressed his lower lip and then she bit him, audaciously. He tried to bite her back and so it all started, after few seconds it became easier and their mouths were moving against each other.

A mix of hot breath and barely audible sounds clouded John's senses.

There wasn't anything beyond her, her heat and her touch. Nothing at all.

John leaned back a little, carrying her with his strength; one hand was still pressed on the small of her back and the other went up, burying his fingers in her short, silky hair. Cortana felt a not-so-gentle-but-still-thrilling tug on her hair and their mouths broke apart, but then his lips were drawing a trail of fire across her mandible and neck, right over the pulse of an artery. And down, down, down towards her collarbone and the collar of her hooded sweatshirt.

She rolled her eyes, delighted, a soft moan escaped her lips.

That just pushed John over the edge. He hugged her against his body tighter, solid muscle clashing with soft, curvaceous forms, and she gasped for air when she noticed a bulky presence under her weight. She was sitting _on it,_ and it was _magnificent_. That was really happening, she never thought...

Well, Cortana said it, once: there was something primitive about him, in an animal sort of way. She'd never been so happy to be right.

Light-headed already, Cortana's hands roamed down his chest and she pulled back (against her will) to reach the zipper of her sweatshirt. She wanted John to watch, there was something wicked about the very idea. The zipper rolled down slowly, revealing pale skin streaked with tiny dark freckles and a training bra. She heard him swallow hard. He traced with the tips of his fingers the line of reddish dots that weren't actually freckles, but scars of plasma burns.

Images of the night of the battle against Seven passed through her mind.

 _'Don't think about the shot. Just be with him and be happy.'_ she thought, troubled.

He kissed her forehead, very close to her hairline.

His scent was raw, powerful. Male and ready for action, she understood.

The next time their lips converged, it felt sweeter. Slower, yet deeper and more intense. It felt right. John said so much with a gesture so simple, everything he couldn't put in words was there translated in that kiss.

She broke the contact only to mutter: "Are we doing this, for real?"

"It's eleven-hundred. Do we have enough time?"

Her heart pounded faster, raising the fire inside.

"Well, Chief, unless you're planning to keep me in here for hours..." she gave him a devilish smirk, excited.

"Nobody can know, especially not Osman. If she finds out that we..."

Cortana nodded. "I know. I'm all over protocol."

They weren't mentioning the Commander because Palmer was the lesser of their problems. It was difficult to say: Cortana wasn't either a civilian or a military asset, she was somewhere in a gray area in-between that still, somehow, placed her as a piece of equipment belonging to the UNSC. Taking them apart from each other was the simplest of things that someone like Osman could do, none of them wanted to imagine anything beyond that. It was a tremendous risk.

Too late to back off now.

"You still have too much clothes on." he said, thinking out loud.

"Me? How about you?"

"I'm working on it."

The Chief pulled the sweatshirt, sliding it down her arms to set Cortana free from the garment. She did her own bidding by removing the straps of her bra, then pulled it above her head and tossed it aside; the next thing was tugging on John's shirt until he complied and removed it too.

"Now we're even." she mumbled, between the many kisses she deposited against his clean-shaven jaw.

John growled something.

They fell together on the bed, he still on top and her legs tangled around his waist. Her hands traced the rough lines of old scars here and there and his hands roamed freely up and down her waist, his thumbs slowly drawing the underside of her bare breasts. Cortana threw her head back and grabbed his wrists, she rashly placed those rough palms above her chest and managed to explain without words how did she wanted to be caressed. The sensations were explosive, uncontainable. She sighed in a strangled sound when John's large hands cupped both her breasts, fitting them perfectly.

"Chief..." she moaned, huffing.

"I like it better when you call me John."

"Noted." now she gasped, arching her back when she felt the scorching touch of his mouth on tender skin. Her arousal just reached a new level. "On a second thought, I might want to stay like this _for hours_ , please."

Her fingers drifted absentmindedly down across his chest and stomach, tracing hard muscle and scars, until she found the cord of his pants. She tugged the knot loose and dived a hand beneath the waistband. He almost jerked away when...

Cortana laughed softly.

"Don't be so jumpy, you're touching and I want to touch too." she said. "What is it? You don't like it?"

He couldn't help but relate the maneuver to that disturbing nightmare about the Rampant Spike assaulting him, the other day.

"It's just that..." John trailed off.

"It was just instinct, don't worry. I won't hurt you." she craned her neck to place a kiss on his lips, calming him down instantly. She drew her hands back and cherishingly rubbed his arms from the elbow and up, reaching his solid shoulders. She looked at him, amazed. "It's okay, John. I like it, but we don't have to do anything you don't want to do, really."

Before she could say anything else, he covered her mouth with his and lowered his weight on her, anxious to feel Cortana's warmth against his own skin. She clutched her fingers at his forearms, digging with her nails. She actually started breaking sweat and the world spun around when she felt him pulling down her pants.

Right then and there, a soft chime rang in the air.

John went completely rigid and so did she. They both turned immediately their heads towards the intercom's general direction.

 _"Sorry to interrupt your rest, Master Chief, Captain Lasky requests you presence on the bridge."_ said Roland's voice. _"I repeat..."_

"Copy that, Roland. Thank you." John answered, his voice a little ragged.

_"I'll be seeing you, SPARTAN."_

Then, the musical bell-like sound rang again indicating the channel was closed.

"Fuck." the Chief cursed, under his breath.

Cortana frowned, worried. He'd never been one to use such words, but it was both surprising and exciting to hear him talk like that. It was the angered tone of his voice, probably, what made her feel more aroused.

To actually _see him_ showing such a controversial emotion was priceless.

"I guess fun is over." she whispered. And it was: John pulled away from her at the very moment she said those words, but she grabbed his shoulders and pushed herself up until their lips met again. He sighed against her mouth, eyes closed, his sudden temper now at ease. There was a short hesitation, then she spoke: "It's okay, John. Now that we both know that... that _we want it_ , we will have plenty of chances. I promise."

"That's my line." he whispered, and she let him go.

The Chief reached for his discarded shirt. She sighed, very discontent, and got off the bed to search for her brassier and sweatshirt. They both dressed in awkward silence, which she broke when she saw him head to the doorway: "Where do you think you're going with _that tent on your pants_?" Cortana hissed. "It's like you have a neon arrow pointing right there, there's no way it would go unnoticed. You have to stay here until it's gone."

John stopped dead and looked down, mostly annoyed.

"I'm being called to the bridge. If I don't make it, it will be suspicious."

"I know, but trust me: something like that is _more suspicious_. Specially coming from a SPARTAN of your generation and class."

The Chief considered her words for a short moment.

Probably a lot of cameras captured him on video making his way from the cargo bay to the S-Deck with Cortana in his arms, then entering his quarters. Maybe it was just futile to think of a way out.

"Point taken." John agreed.

Cortana brushed her hair behind her ears, thinking hard. "Let's do this: I'm going out first, you calm down and then go out and do whatever you have to do." she placed a hand on his forearm, to put extra emphasis into the message.

Ne nodded, thinking it over. "Cortana?"

"What?"

"How do you suggest that I _'calm down'_?"

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

AWWW YISSSS

Well, 'awwwlmost' I'd rather say XD these two manage to be funny even when having a sexy time (sort of). I kind of hate Roland right now, I almost bet he did it on purpose or something! Well, like I said, almost there; the dam just broke and now the rivers will flow wild! Okay, we all had our fair share of smexy fun and now it's time to concentrate, big things are happening and puberty shall not get in the way. We're going back to the fun wagon of action and actual plot! What? You thought it was going to be senseless porn from now on? Guess again.

**Let's meet again next Sunday! We haven't seen the last of this, but I'm really looking forward for your opinions, guys! Speak up, I can't hear you!**

 

 


	20. Shrieking Sun

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

So, checkpoint four on my list of 'borderline insane decisions for this fanfic', but this shouldn't be so bad. These checkpoints are becoming quite close, this has to mean something big, I guess. No much about "surprises" today, but still, enjoy!

**19\. SHRIEKING SUN**

 

**AUGUST 21TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**STRATEGIC COMMAND AISLE**

**11:23 AM standard time**

 

It took him at least fifteen minutes to 'calm down' enough to get out of his quarters and another ten minutes to get inside his MJOLNIR and make it to the bridge.

The Master Chief entered the strategic command aisle alone, to see Captain Lasky standing beside the holo-table, fully recovered from his wounds. Osman was nowhere to be seen, neither Commander Palmer nor the ONI personnel that used to orbit around the Admiral. John approached and saluted, Lasky responded as well adding a tense smile; the man looked worn out and it wasn't just out of convalescence.

"At ease, Chief. I’m sorry to pull you out of your resting hours."

"No problem, sir." John held his helmet under his left arm.

"Your recon mission is all set up, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. We're deploying you in about twenty minutes, I will brief you in with the specs now and you can go get your gear and crew ready. The _Challenger_ is warming up engines as we speak."

The UNSC _Challenger_ was one of the ten _strident_ -class heavy frigates attached to the _Infinity_ 's permanent fleet. A vessel that big needed at least twenty-five essential crewmen and an AI to be maneuvered and this wasn't making any sense anymore. The recovery mission wasn’t scheduled until another twelve days, they were nowhere near New Carthage yet. John managed not to openly frown in front of the Captain, instead he chose to make the most important question:

"Does the Admiral...?"

"Know about it?" Lasky said, now serious. "No, she doesn't. She's still in cryo, but her agents are probably bringing her back by now, if their ears are as sharp as I think. You have to listen up and move fast."

John didn't like to break the chain of command but if it was strictly necessary, he was willing to. Captain Del Rio forced him to do so once, he could still remember the man’s words very clearly and not only the part where the former Captain insulted both Cortana and him.

But Lasky wasn't an incompetent prick, so John kept listening.

"Sir, with all due respect... why?"

"Because I'm not waiting for another massacre to happen. That's why. Osman is making me sit on my hands as punishment for not reporting sooner about Cortana and now she expects me to neglect my primary duties as a Captain. It's my responsibility to watch over every man, woman and child aboard this ship right now. We need that damn generator and we need it ASAP. You should have left right when the _Infinity_ set course to New Carthage, there's no point in stand by and relax inside a sixty-three-million square feet target*."

John was certain that Osman's decisions were fueled by the interest in keeping an eye over Cortana, for some reason he couldn't yet make sense of. It wouldn't be strange that the Admiral wanted to prevent Cortana from escaping, but one would think that she knew better than risking the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

"I may be digging my own grave here, Master Chief, but it's for the greater good. If you come back with that generator..."

"I will, sir."

The Captain looked at him in the eye, worried. It was a risky business, they both knew that, but John was willing to make Lasky's act of bravery worth it. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway. After a long and weary sigh, the Captain turned around to face the upper screens.

"Roland, the display."

"Aye-aye, sir." the AI replied, his amber miniature popping up over the corner of the table. He saluted at John with a content smile. "How was your nap, Master Chief?"

John glared at Roland with annoyance. Did the little smartass knew something?

The AI just frowned, a bit confused by such a cold stare, but then proceeded to display graphics, photos and information on the screens. Forerunner shield-world 0313, designation _Paragon_ , scheduled for decommission within the next five standard years; located by the UNSC eight months before and ever since catalogued deserted, no traces of Promethean life forms were found. They weren't expecting hostility, but John was used to expect the worst possible scenario. The intel was mostly what the Chief already knew from the reports Dr. Glassman's crew provided, but this time there was something else. A detailed schematic. It was somewhat familiar.

It looked like a tall geometrical column with dozens of pressure locks, Forerunner in design, no doubt. Yes, John remembered it. He'd passed by and had blown up a fair amount of similar power-cores, so it wasn't that shocking in the end.

"Dr. Glassman got this from what they could recover of your video feed the day you first encountered the Rampant Spike." Lasky explained. "The engineers esteem that a generator resembles this but we're looking for a device bigger that weights in the order of tons. That's why the _Challenger_ , you'll need a vessel large enough to haul it back to us. The _Infinity_ will meet you at a rendezvous point, date and time will be provided later on via encrypted comm. All comms closed until rendezvous notification except in case of extreme emergency situation, secrecy is mandatory."

John assumed there wouldn’t be any form of backup. That wasn't the problem.

"Is it radioactive?" the Chief asked.

"Extremely, nobody should be allowed to go near it without proper shielding. One of this things alone should produce enough juice to power up a Forerunner engine in a slip-space jump to the far end of the galaxy and back again. You just have to make sure that it makes it to the _Infinity_ in one piece."

John nodded quickly.

"Sir, my squad was mostly assembled considering defense and possible combat; who's driving the _Challenger_?"

"Sigrid can take care of the navs and manage the comms. Also I've spared a small crew to assist you if something goes wrong, just to watch over your back. Plug Sigrid in and let her do the rest."

He was about to ask if it was safe to lay such responsibility over an AI but instead, the Chief nodded and straightened his pose. He’d learnt long ago not to underestimate any AI's skills. And a SPARTAN of his class certainly had no need for regular soldiers watching over his back, but the extra hands would be welcome. John mentally reviewed his squad one more time: fireteams Majestic and Bravo for assault, defense and recon, five K-9s and four of their respective SPARTAN handlers, plus Cortana, Eleven and five engineers from Dr. Glassman's crew. And a particularly rich load of weaponry and ammo, as usual. It was quite the crowd, that for sure, but he'd been in charge of larger crowds before and this was a recovery mission, not an assassination or infiltration.

He just had to focus on keeping Cortana and the engineers working. There was plenty of SPARTAN back up to rely on in event of being attacked in a supposedly deserted planet.

"I don't have to tell you how important this is." Lasky concluded, somber.

"It's crystal clear, sir."

"Then good luck, Master Chief."

 

**AUGUST 21TH TO SEPTEMBER 1ST 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _CHALLENGER_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**Twelve standard days travel**

She didn't want to go into cryo this time and she knew how he was when on active duty, so it was entirely pointless to hang around him. He was a SPARTAN, but not _her_ SPARTAN at the time. Why did she wanted to stay close, anyway?

Maybe, because she didn't want to be alone.

Or maybe, she didn't want _him_ to be alone when mostly everyone else was asleep. She didn't want to think of him being alone, never again.

Whatever the reason, Cortana tried to stay focused and to do her work, plus, she tried to keep a watchful eye on John. When the Chief plugged Sigrid's chip in a port at the _Challenger_ 's bridge, her radiant Viking shield maiden figure popped up from a holo-pad beside the Captain's seat. She started talking with her rough but feminine electronic voice, shouting out ordinary routines as she took control of the systems one by one with tremendous speed. If the Chief was shocked, surprised, angry or just indifferent about the fact that he'd been working with an UNSC Smart AI all along and it was kept from him, he didn't show. Sigrid didn't make a statement either, and she also chose to ignore Cortana and pretty much everyone else.

Alas, Cortana rarely saw him rest. She knew that John didn't need sleep as much as her in this current human form, but it was puzzling to see him sitting at the Captain's chair with Charley lying on the rubber floor, at his armored feet. _He looked like a war god impatiently waiting for the next bloodbath._

Besides, he only sat there if Sigrid was nowhere to be seen, for some reason.

It wasn't the right time for anything, not even for talking. It wasn't safe.

Cortana wondered what was going through John's mind every time he looked at her or stopped by to make sure that she had eaten something or slept at least six hours. Two members of Fireteam Bravo were on guard duty, but the Chief wasn't as aware of them as he was of Cortana. That made her feel very happy sometimes, and she tried to return the feeling with concealed tugs every time she passed by him.

Her head was boiling with curiosity and expectation, she couldn't wait to see how far that newly discovered _intimacy_ could take them both.

But it would have to wait. The mission (and survival) was the main priority.

**SEPTEMBER 2ND 2558**

**LOCATION: FORERUNNER SHIELD-WORLD 0313 _PARAGON_**

**INNER SURFACE**

**3:37 AM standard time**

 

The Pelican dropped them on the inner surface of _Paragon_ under heavy rain. The crystal-clear drops were huge as balled fists and pounded on every piece of armor and equipment like dull rocks. The squad landed on a small, grassy hill, but most of the way down from there the terrain was flooded with thick, turbulent rivers of mud. It was also very cold, but the suits kept everyone warm and safe.

The _Challenger_ would remain in orbit around the shield-world until extraction, as scheduled. The Pelican left too, the storm was too strong to stick around.

The squad moved in tight diamond formation with the Chief and the K-9 team at forefront followed by fireteam Majestic, the scientific crew and fireteam Bravo closing the rear. They had to make their way through a path of rocks to get to higher ground and away from the flooded valley. Cortana commanded her HARPY to deploy short conical spikes on the soles of her boots to avoid slipping on the muddy terrain, as Eleven first did. He got himself an assault rifle, a belt loaded with plasma grenades and a standard rocket launcher to complement his sidearm, and he seemed happy about it.

"I see you found some toys." Cortana said, amused.

He chuckled under his narrow V-shaped red faceplate. "A shitload of firepower that I hope we won't need, but just the weight of these babies is reassuring enough."

"You should name them or something."

Eleven huffed when he realized she was making fun of him and chose not to say another word for a while. Cortana looked ahead, at John's outstanding armored back. He was carrying a rocket launcher too, but that wasn't important. Through her blue-shaded faceplate she saw the massive distant shape of a building, parts of it seemed to float around a central silvery tower. That was the squad's destination, ETA thirteen minutes according to Sigrid's TEAMCOM management link. The Pelican couldn't drop them closer because of the weather, so they had to run.

Once reached the entrance, Cortana worked her way through the door systems to open a safe passageway into the cyan-hued darkness of the antechamber. Everything was going smooth.

Even the engineers seemed calm considering that they weren't men of action; they immediately started working with the nearest Forerunner terminal as if they were back home. The group moved across several passages and chambers, some of them so huge that the roof was impossible to see, some of them dark, some others well illuminated. There was always this distant humming sound of engines and machinery running, out of sight, it was incredible that thousands of years later all that astounding technology was still fully functional.

The dogs remained calm, their sharp ears tracking every sound around. Cortana looked at John several times. He was all business directing the team, but he wasn't calm, she knew. She had a bad feeling too.

Once they found a translocation port, the engineers set it up for use.

"All right, everyone." Cortana said, the whole party was reunited under dim lights at a long and narrow chamber, a few levels below surface. "We're picking up several strong energy signatures near to the planet's core itself. The maps aren't clear, though, and the Forerunner have funny ways to depict their technology. I say we should split up and check at least four to six locations and assess the one with the most accessible point of extraction. Chief?" she turned around to look at him.

John nodded. "Fine. I already got you sorted out."

In everyone's HUDs appeared three short lists of people; two were research teams and the third was supposed to work both as guard-backup and nexus between the other two teams. SPARTANS Thorne and Grant went along with Cortana, Eleven, two other technicians and one K-9 and its handler. The Chief was set to stay behind with the third team, since he was in charge.

But before Cortana left through the port, he called her out.

Curious, she observed as John and his massive dog approached.

"Charley, you go with her." John touched Cortana's shoulderplate under the sharp brownish gaze of the enhanced dog. With that gesture he was telling the animal that she would be sticking with the woman in black and blue from then on. "Keep your ears open, cadet."

Charley barked, acknowledging the order.

"Chief, you don't have to..." Cortana started, shocked.

"I do." he cut her, and released the chain from the dog's armored collar. "I'm not going with you this time, but she is."

Behind her blue faceplate, Cortana smiled. A strange warmth crawled through her skin, making her feel oddly happy.

Enhanced breeds were developed to genetically eradicate all sort of diseases that, hundreds of years ago, could have decimated cattle. It started with chicken, cows, sheep and horses; later it became a commercial sensation with the so-called 'service dogs' and 'exotic pets'. It was a big deal back in the 23rd century but as other applications for such technology surfaced, the production of these enhanced animals was slowly restricted to military purposes.

The UNSC battle dogs had extremely sensitive senses of hearing and smell, better than any previous modified service dog. The simplified neural link didn't mean that they actually understood the words, but the animal was connected to its handler directly, providing him or her with another video feed; if well trained, the beasts were loyal and obedient, sticking to their handlers until death. Such dogs were precious to the military even when they didn't get to make much use of them on space. They were large, strong and fierce, primarily conceived for search, recovery, guard duties and rescue, although they were more than capable of killing on the battlefield.

So, Cortana understood that what John just did was truly a big deal, and not only because he was Charley's authorized handler. He transferred the control of Charley's neural interface to Cortana and then nodded.

"She'll listen to you if you make your intentions clear." John explained.

"Okay, I'll do my best. Thanks, Chief."

She touched the temple of her faceplate, as saluting.

Then, they parted ways. It was time to work.

 

**SEPTEMBER 2ND 2558**

**LOCATION: FORERUNNER SHIELD-WORLD 0313 _PARAGON_**

**THIRTY LEVELS BELOW SURFACE**

**4:10 AM standard time**

 

"Woha! Wait, everyone!" Cortana cried through the comm, she barely made it to grab the platform's guardrail once she came out at the other end of the portal. "There's no gravity in here!"

 _"Say that again."_ SPARTAN Thorne asked.

"There's no gravity. The momentum will just make you fly away."

 _"Roger."_ said Thorne. _"We'll remain here until your thumbs up."_

 _"I'm moving in."_ Eleven's voice rose over Thorne's.

Cortana wanted to throw up. With every sense of direction now invalidated, her equilibrium started messing with her. She pushed herself to land on her feet over the platform, and her stomach eased. The world made a lot more sense when you could tell which way was up or down.

The translocation port had taken her into another immense chamber, this one radiant with unidentified light sources, gigantic icicles hanging from an impossibly high ceiling. The floor was made of some reflective silvery material (which increased the lightning), but the second Cortana tried to make a step towards the bulk of stylized machinery that she could see at the center of the room, she slipped.

Eleven emerged from the port and grabbed the guardrail beside her.

"Okay, this is trouble." he said, dropping his feet on the reflective surface. "Reach the ground and think about sticking to it. The HARPY should do the rest."

The moment he said it, the soles of his boots touched the glossy floor and there was not only a hissing sound but a solid clicking. Then he took a few steps, normally. Cortana imitated him and smiled when she felt her feet attached to something, although moving required effort. It was like stomping on a thick puddle of glue.

"Suction cups?" she asked, unsheathing her pad.

He shook his armored head. "I don't think so. This floor seems metallic."

"Works for me, but besides the SPARTANS, no one else has magnetic boots. Let me check if I can get the gravity and atmosphere back on."

Cortana quickly roamed through the Forerunner network, swiping her fingers over the pad's surface with incredible speed. The more she dived into layers and layers of coding, the more obscure the meaning of the labels became, but she finally found the chamber and after a few minutes of tweaking the controls, the gravity started to run again. She fell flat on her back, feet still locked to the ground; Eleven just crouched on his knees and knuckles. They waited for a few minutes, until the atmosphere readings were standard Earth.

"Okay, team. You can come in." Cortana said, groaning.

 _"Roger that, we're on our way."_ said Grant, over the comm.

"I'm not getting any readings, just freezing cold." Cortana stood up and worked on her pad for a while. "This is the place, all right, but... it doesn't make much sense. I don't read anything. Where are the mind-blowing energy signatures, the radiation, the scorching heat, anything?"

"Maybe it's broken." Eleven shrugged.

She kept digging through the network until she reached those obscure files from before, reading as fast as she could. She frowned under her blue faceplate.

The rest of the team came out the portal, a little disoriented at first, Charley and the other dog leading the party. Together, they made their way towards the center of the room. As the SPARTANS stood guarding and the technicians started setting up their workstations, both animals ran in wide circles around Cortana and Eleven, sniffing and growling, their armored harnesses tingling. The fur on their backs was pointing on end, they were clearly upset. Breath came out of their noses in thick clouds of steam.

As the technicians worked connecting their portable computers to the terminals that surrounded the elegant hissing machinery, Cortana walked away from the supposed generator, Eleven followed her when he saw her leave.

"Interesting." she said, after a moment.

"What is it?" Eleven asked her.

"This thing here. The schematics aren't clear, but there are references all over the place to something called _'the shrieking sun'_. It appears to be somewhere over... no, it's below, there's another chamber beneath this one. Massive. There must be some sort of entrance around here."

"Yeah, but what is it?"

"I can only guess. This could be important, we should look into it."

Eleven cocked his head. "Really, Cortana?"

"What?" she shrugged. "We can sniff around a little, Charley is already doing it."

She pointed out at the dogs, the two of them were standing still with their heads down, their ears pointing at something. The other dog's handler separated herself from the group and walked towards the animals, interested.

Cortana ran towards another terminal and hooked her pad in, to have better access. Eleven followed her, again, groaning. The terminal's holographic screen flooded with information, but Cortana's pad flared erratically and froze. That was odd. She lifted her head to the gleaming cyan screen and recognized a sign that appeared beside long lines of Forerunner code. It was a warning, she'd seen it before.

"That's the reclaimer's glyph." Eleven pointed out, frowning.

"You've been doing your homework."

"Should we call the Chief in, then?"

She paused for a brief moment. "We have human bodies now, don't we?"

Cortana moved her hand forward and the HARPY's armored glove retreated like streams of tiny matte-black beads over her skin, uncovering her fingers. She pressed her palm against the cold plate beneath the floating screen and the symbols flared red, then green, then cyan again. A soft hissing sound -pressure releasing- came from beneath the sophisticated silvery floor.

Every SPARTAN turned around, weapons ready.

The floor opened exactly where the dogs were standing guard. Both of the animals started to growl, showing their enormous fangs, now crouching in attack postures.

"Something is happening!" the SPARTAN handler said.

"Keep the dogs out!" Thorne ordered.

When Cortana approached, she saw a dim opening descending into the darkness below, no stairs or platform of any kind. Wasting no time, she jumped inside the hole. SPARTAN Grant missed her by a hair when she tried to grab Cortana's arm to prevent her from leaving.

Cortana thought she was going to fall forever, but after exactly five seconds she landed on her feet on solid, metallic floor. The impact made her entire body shudder, the HARPY hissed around her tightening the pressure of the protective layers over her legs and ankles. It was pitch black down there.

 _"Cortana, what are you...!?"_ Eleven shouted, over the comm.

"I need to check on something." she answered. "The atmosphere might be failing down here too, keep the dogs up there with you."

 _"Like we can contain these mutts!"_ the dog handler gasped, her voice ragged. She was trying to hold the animals back.

" _You do realize this could be dangerous, don't you?"_ Thorne said, annoyed.

"I know what I'm doing."

She cut the link and started walking, there was only one direction to go anyway.

 

**SEPTEMBER 2ND 2558**

**LOCATION: FORERUNNER SHIELD-WORLD 0313 _PARAGON_**

**THIRTY-TWO LEVELS BELOW SURFACE**

**4:30 AM standard time**

 

Her armored boots clicked on the metallic surface, then she realized the deeper she descended, the less gravity she could feel. The HARPY's HUD switched from night vision to holographic recognition and instead of showing her real live footage it traced lines of the hallways and rooms with dim blue lines, contours only. A moment later it switched to heat vision, showing only blue-cold shadows. She scanned the area around her for a short while, then the numbers started to climb out of control.

She found it.

It was behind some sort of energy shielding, but the heat of it was so intense that the sensor crashed. It was as hot as a sun. Her heart throbbed. _There it was._ She noticed the interference that was already messing up not only with the comms but also with her armor's system. The HUD flickered, several times. She kept walking until she saw light, flooding a narrow passage. She could also hear a sound, a high-pitched cry of some sort. It was growing louder.

The _shrieking_ sun, huh? It made sense.

Behind two sets of heavy blast doors, a blue shimmering energy shield contained not only light, but also raw power. There was a tubular casket made of glass, vertically floating over a sophisticated battery of columns and chunks of ice steaming under the heat. The ice formed nearly as fast as it melted. Another two tall devices like columns guarded the casket, there were pure energy beams flowing from one to the other in an endless cycle. The high-pitched cry was louder than ever, it almost hurt her ears.

She quickly found a terminal and accessed it with her tac-pad, reading line after line of mind-blowing data regarding the device. It was sealed shut and it would be quite hard to enter the chamber without the proper codes, but she was so excited that nothing seemed impossible anymore. That device _per se_ was somewhat _impossible_ to start with, and Cortana was barely scratching the surface of what that thing could do.

Energy generator? Sure. But it was also _so much more_.

"This is it." she muttered, amazed.

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, but she didn't scream.

"Cortana! What the hell are you doing?" Eleven called out, angry.

"That thing upstairs is the cooling station! What we're looking for is the _shrieking sun_. Can you hear it, the sound of super-compressed gases boiling? That casket contains a device that replicates the fusion process of a regular star... it's like a tiny, tiny nuclear reactor and yet much more powerful. This little thing could produce enough energy to sustain an entire colony for thousands of years! I'm going crazy just thinking about the numbers!"

"You're going crazy for real, this could be dangerous!"

"It's contained, don't you see the shield around it?"

Eleven looked ahead, but then he caught a glimpse of something floating inside the anti-radiation field. At first, he thought the field was causing some sort of distortion on his systems, but the object's shape was familiar beyond any possible confusion. His blood ran cold, immediately.

"That's not the only thing around it. Look." he reached for his rifle, unclasping it from behind his back. "There's dead people in there. Dead humans."

Cortana found the object and the HARPY's system zoomed it in, flickering under the influence of the radiation. She recognized the uniforms.

"UNSC Marines... how long have they been here?" she whispered. There wasn't just one body, there were more than twenty, floating and cloaked by steam. She took pictures and ran a program through the images to identify the service numbers coded in the uniforms. A list of IDs appeared on her screen, but that was only the beginning. "Oh, God. These are people who was stationed at New Carthage's base _until three days ago_ , according to this."

"What the hell?" he whispered, confused.

 _'The dogs knew.'_ Cortana thought, frightened. _'They smelled the dead. Oh, God.'_

Her eyes shot straight to Eleven's flaming-red faceplate.

It was very clear for Cortana, there was no need to think it over. Considering the options, those dead bodies weren't the only ones trapped inside _Paragon_ 's depths. She felt her pulse drop, true fear crawling deep beneath her skin. She took a step back from Eleven.

"This is a message." she said, slowly. She stared at her brother until he felt more uncomfortable than scared, then Cortana continued: "It's obvious. Seven knows where we are _going_. She knew that we would be _here_ and set this up for us to find. How does she know? How come she always outsmarts us?"

"She can predict us as much as you and I can predict her, it's not..." he started.

"No." Cortana harshly interrupted him, defiant. She unclasped her plasma sidearm and quickly pulled the safety off, pointing at the man's head. "This is not just prediction, it goes way beyond that, this is precision and cruelty. _This is a leak._ Seven has a mole inside the _Infinity_."

Eleven stood still under Cortana's threatening pose.

"Okay, we say she has someone inside." he nodded slowly, a moment later. "The problem here, as I see it, _is that you think it's me._ "

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

_*Around sixty three million square feet it's the actual surface of the Infinity if taken from the side, I'm just ignoring the width._

Wooo! Tension, tension, tension! Dramarama everywhere!

Did you check out that _'I'm gonna fucking fry you, you dumb machine'_ look the Chief shot to Roland? xD I don't know what happened there but I sure don't want to be on Roland's clusters right now. Now, seriously... how the fuck does the Spike _always knows everything_? If any of you nails the correct answer before the end of the week, next update will be DOUBLE CHAPTER. Think, think hard. _Someone_ or _something_ is spilling intel outside the _Infinity_ , make your guess.

You think Eleven is a traitor, that he's been working for Seven all along?

What would John say about this? You think he will enjoy shooting Eleven? :P

**Let's meet again next Sunday and I'll give you answers! Don't forget to make your guess, leave a comment and tell me your theory!**


	21. Check Mate

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Well, as you can see, someone guessed the right answer. It was a though one, I tell you. However, I won't reveal who/what is the "mole" because eventually we will get to it in the story, so for now, enjoy your double update ;) be nice and say something in return, people!

**20\. CHECK MATE**

_proofread and correction by: SL4Y3R -hugs-_

 

**SEPTEMBER 2ND 2558**

**LOCATION: FORERUNNER SHIELD-WORLD 0313 _PARAGON_**

**THIRTY-TWO LEVELS BELOW SURFACE**

**4:52 AM standard time**

 

They stared at each other for a long moment, both still and quiet.

Either of them could take the shot and kill the other, but none of them did.

In the end, Eleven sighed. "I'm not the bad guy here, Cortana."

"Can you prove it?" she demanded, sharply.

"Apparently not, but I can surrender." he lowered the rifle and then tossed it aside, then proceeded to relieve himself from the grenades, the rocket launcher and the pistol, and raised his hands. "See? I'm unarmed. Well, mostly. If I strip off my armor, I'll be dead in less than three minutes and it won't be a nice thing to see. I have no intentions to hurt anyone."

"Seriously, how can I be sure?"

"C'mon, would you harm John on purpose?"

"Seven tried to kill him two times already, and she used to be a part of us."

"She's unstable due to the rampancy process that fragmented us in the first place. We're different. Answer me, would you harm John on purpose?"

Cortana tensed her whole body, offended.

"I'd rather _die_ than cause him harm in any possible way." she spat back.

"There's your answer." he chuckled, somewhat relieved. "I'm on your side, but I understand your doubts. My resources are limited and I've been unsuccessful at my primary task, allowing way too many bad things to happen. But that doesn't mean that I'm the mole and I don't think Seven has a mole inside the _Infinity_ either; how could she pull that off in the first place, with that many ONI agents around? It's impossible."

"I can think of five ways to pull it off, three of them include you." she said, edgily. "And as you already pointed out, if I can do it, she probably can think of it too. Hands where I can see them and turn around; we're heading back."

"You'll turn me in?" he said, flatly.

"Until this situation is sorted out, I'm not trusting you anymore."

Eleven lowered his hands, palms resting against his armored thighs.

"You never trusted me anyway." he whispered, but then complied and turned his back to Cortana in order to walk out of the generator's room. They both knew why he said that, no further questions were asked for a while.

Cortana's hands were trembling. She didn't know what to think.

But there was another thing that was bothering her, it had been bothering her for a while now. It was the primary cause of her constant denial about meeting subjects Twelve and Two, or so she told herself (to somewhat ease the pain). Eleven joined his hands at the nape of his neck and kept walking, quietly, but Cortana couldn't hold it anymore:

"What is the Chief to you?" she had to ask, her throat felt dry. "Do you...?"

Eleven tilted his head up a bit, surprised, and looked over his shoulder.

"Do I _what_?"

"What is the Chief to you?" she repeated.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, then he snorted. "That's not what you want to ask, Cortana. You want to talk about John, all right, but that's not it."

"Just answer me."

"You want to know _if I love him_ like you do?"

Cortana stopped dead, shocked. He used the word. She wasn't prepared to hear it, she wasn't even thinking about using it herself but he did and it exploded in her senses like thunder. The HARPY trembled and hissed over her body in response to her extreme emotions. Eleven turned around to face her, hands still behind his head. They both stared at each other into their faceplates, ignoring what was really going on behind the masks. Her weapon didn't falter, though.

"Do you?" she asked, pretending that nothing was wrong.

Eleven realized her voice was shaky, but chose to ignore it.

"He was our SPARTAN, our friend and companion. Serving him was more than an honor, we protected the Universe together and made it out alive from the depths of Hell over and over again. We had fun and shared grief. If that doesn't make a bond, I don't know what does." he paused, but didn't look away from her. "There were twelve of us and we all had feelings for him, feelings that weren't supposed to exist in the first place. He's dear to me, if that's what's you want to know. My feelings for John may not follow the same path as yours, but you're not the only one willing to die if that means he'll be spared."

She remained silent for a moment, stunned. It was both relieving and troubling, she couldn't decide what did she actually wanted to feel about what she heard. Cortana took in a deep breath and nodded.

They had to go back. She had to report to John about the dead Marines, about the trap, about the possibility of the _Infinity_ being hijacked while they were standing there giving each other stupid questions. Maybe John would be better off if none of them ever existed, if he had never met her. All of it happened because she was overly-protective of him and she allowed John to become overly-attached to her as well. As an advanced AI, she should've known better.

 _They both damaged each other as much as they improved each other, somehow_.

"Keep moving." Cortana said, in the end.

Eleven didn't say anything, he just turned around and kept walking.

 

**SEPTEMBER 2ND 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _CHALLENGER_**

**MESS HALL**

**6:11 AM standard time**

 

The Chief stared at them from behind his polarized faceplate, serious.

Cortana just reported to him that she found dead Marines deep down the surface of _Paragon_. It was yet another trap, that was clear, but he had a little trouble wrapping his head around the rest. She was convinced that the Rampant Spike had a spy inside the _Infinity_ and that she was hijacking the ship as they were talking. Maybe she was already in possession of the biggest warship of the UNSC armada.  

That would mean that the encrypted message the _Challenger_ received from the _Infinity_ only minutes before (rendezvous coordinates) was plainly a provocation. And it was the least of his problems right now.

The Spike was alive and back, surprisingly fast. Did Dr. Halsey help her?

This was the epitome of being played, he didn't like it one bit.

"We can't take the generator with us." John said, firmly. "It's probably sabotaged."

"The Chief is right." said one of the engineers, a short woman with curly red hair. "We'll need at least a week of tests to assess if the device is stable and works properly. Also, we have to think of a way to move it out of the planet. Can it be shut down and restarted later? How bad is the radiation it produces? Can the shielding be replicated? There's a ton of research to do, we can't take this lightly."

"We can't leave without it either. We need it." Cortana said, arms crossed. "If you really want this to end for good, Chief, it has to be done. I suggest we split in two, take the _Challenger_ and..."

"Whoever stays behind will need another ship, and big enough." he stated.

"Fortunately for all of us, the Forerunners weren't idiots. We can power up any of the ships stationed on the planet." she used her pad to access again the planet's network and looked for something. After a short while, she turned the screen and showed the group a detailed schematic. "There you go. It isn't close by, but we can leave a Pelican behind for support."  

"And who will drive that ship, Cortana?" John asked, uneasy.

She understood what he was trying not to say: of all the scientific crew, she was the most appropriate person to deal with Forerunner tech of any kind. But his body language said that he didn't want to leave Cortana behind. He wouldn't allow it. It was really silly and a dangerous choice, but he didn't even want to think about it, and it was painfully obvious.

She felt something cold flowing through her veins. She didn't want to be away from him either, they've been separated long enough.

The silence in the mess hall almost had weight.

"What about the AI?" said another engineer. "She could be our driver if we input her with the proper data."

"If the _Infinity_ is compromised, we'll need Sigrid more than you." Cortana stated.

"So, it's a dead-end?" said Paul DeMarco, frowning.

"Well, there are options, but given the recent events..." started Suzuka, leader of fire-team Bravo, and shrugged.

"I will do it. I'll stay behind." Eleven said, serious. "I'll probably miss all the fun but I can make that sacrifice."

A long, tense silence followed.

Then, Cortana pursed her lips."We don't trust you, remember?"

"Why is the Chief trusting **_you_** , then? For all that I know, we both spawned from the same AI. How does anyone knows that we aren't rampant ourselves, like Seven, and just pretending to play good guy until the endgame? Either you trust me or the Chief doesn't trust any of us."

"That doesn't make any sense." Cortana refused, annoyed.

"It does. The Chief knows it does."

She looked at John.

Many other faces turned too, fire-teams Majestic and Bravo, the engineers and the SPARTAN dog handlers were standing still, waiting, so was the rest of the crew of the _Challenger._ Everyone was expecting what the Chief had to say.

That should've been a private conversation, and still...

The SPARTAN just looked at the massive dog resting beside him, how calm she was. Charley's breathing was steady, at rest; no ears in tension, no eyes fixed on the prey. He trusted the dog's senses as much as he trusted his own, and this time he was too compromised to make an objective decision. A quick analysis of Charley's neural-net activity eased John's thoughts, so he tilted his head up and announced:

"Eleven, you will stay in _Paragon_ and support the crew under direct command of SPARTAN Suzuka. Get acquainted with the Forerunner ship. The Marines' bodies must be recovered for proper burial, too. Cortana, you're coming with me, Majestic is tagging along and we're taking Sigrid, two dogs and half of the _Challenger_ 's crew. Questions?"

Cortana frowned.

"But, Chief..." she started, confused.

"I trust both of you enough, does that settle it?"

She straightened her pose, still uneasy. "I guess it does."

"Then those who are to stay, get your gear off this ship. We're leaving ASAP."

Not one more word was spoken, the Master Chief already settled it like he always did, showing that he was still in command and his judgment was sharp. Or so it seemed for everyone else.

John approached Eleven and took the handcuffs off his wrists, releasing him. But before they parted ways, the SPARTAN grabbed the other man by the arm: "If it turns out that I'm wrong, you already know that _none of you_ will escape from me." he said, his voice mildly threatening.

Eleven grabbed John's arm back, but didn't say anything.

The Chief had made himself clear.

**AUGUST 30TH 2558 (three standard days before)**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ IN SLIP-SPACE**

**STRATEGIC COMMAND AISLE**

**8:25 AM standard time**

 

Roland popped up beside Admiral Osman's elbow, almost causing the woman to drop her cup of coffee all across the holo-table.

"Ma'am, you won't believe this! We have an intrusion!" the AI said, troubled.

"What? In slip-space? Roland, what are you...?"

"I'm triple-checking, ma'am, sixteen minutes ago the _Infinity_ 's total population was of eighteen thousand, six hundred and seventy three. However, forty-three seconds ago, it was of eighteen thousand, six hundred and _seventy five._ I have fresh Cherenkov radiation readings and I already tracked the intruder, there was a slip-space disruption at the... wait. Wait, I’m being… there’s something else in here with me! This is…!"

Roland never made it to vocalize whatever he was about to say.

Suddenly the holo-table shut down. Then the windows and screens went dark, the consoles stopped working and the lights blinked out too. All the instruments died, even the dim emergency lights ceased glowing, turning from light blue to nothing. A thunder drummed through the bridge and out of the blue, the _Infinity_ exited slip-space without any considerations. People screamed when the inertia pushed them forward, crashing violently against the consoles, chairs, tables, walls and anything that was directly on their way. Osman lost her foot and fell down on the grating, she rolled a few meters until the pedestal of a navigation station stopped her, then she found herself floating up as the entire ship shifted beneath her... or was it above her?

The artificial gravity was offline. Everything was dead, as dark as pure night.

"Ensign Strathford! What the hell is going on?" the Admiral shouted, annoyed.

"Ma'am, we... I don't know, it looks like a critical power failure."

"Give me radio, the backup generators will be running in no time."

The woman found a surface to grab and crushed it with her fingers, trying to ease herself down. She blinked a few times and her eyes slowly started to get accustomed to the darkness inside the aisle. She saw many light blue dots moving (floating) all around her, the glowing beacons of her officers' uniforms.

"Ensign, radio!" she requested again.

There was a loud gasp, somewhere towards her right side.

"Ma'am, all comms are dead." the man tried not to sound so desperate, but he was close. "Not even the lights. Nothing is responding. I... I don't know what's happening. In case of power failures the backup generators turn themselves on automatically, but there's no response at all. We're stranded."

Osman identified the voice's source and went to the Ensign's station, grabbed the man's shoulder digging her fingers in the flesh protected by layers of battle uniform. She was stunned, such a massive power failure was inconceivable, the _Infinity_ 's engines were protected against EMPs and any other form of radiation that could turn them offline. But the engines weren't the biggest problem, it was the absence of energy itself, the precious power that fed not only the engines but also every other system within the ship. Like life support and air recycling, to name a fraction of them.

The Admiral closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, the sound of preoccupied chatter around her didn't help much but she recalled Roland’s last words.

"All hands on deck, attention!" Osman snapped. "We've been boarded!"

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _CHALLENGER_**

**MAIN OBSERVATION DECK**

**11:03 PM standard time**

 

John looked at the distant _Infinity_ with wary eyes.

They were in the middle of an asteroid belt gravitating around what seemed to be an even bigger asteroid, broken and misplaced. The _Challenger_ was half-hidden at safe distance from the _Infinity_ 's radars. The aforementioned ship, however, was drifting in the middle of almost nowhere, if he had to make an educated guess parting from the coordinates of the rendezvous point. She resembled a dead fish floating up in a pond: there wasn't a single light or beacon on, not a single ship escorting her or drone doing maintenance to the antennas or comm dishes. It looked quiet.

It looked dead. Cold and inert.

 _'How long has it been since the Infinity is adrift?'_ he asked himself, concerned. _'Why nobody came to aid her? Did they have time to send a mayday? Is everyone dead aboard?'_

The greatest question, however, was how did the Rampant Spike manage to board the _Infinity_ and capture it all by herself. The Chief tried not to think about the possible death of eighteen thousand people, many of which he knew personally. Well, if it was about crushing the Rampant Spike's plan of crashing the ship over FLEETCOMs base, then he could just overheat the engines and make the whole ship blow up, along with its precious live cargo. End of story.

It would be a fair sacrifice, wouldn't it?

He snapped out of it. Losing the _Infinity_ or her passengers wasn't an option. His objective was to recapture her and annihilate the enemy. He should be going in alone, but Cortana and fire-team Majestic held knowledge about the ship that he didn't have.

"Sigrid, report." he demanded, almost in a growl.

The Viking shield maiden AI appeared at the nearest holo-pad, which was nine feet away from him.

"The _Infinity_ is cold, but it isn't empty. I read life signals. Roland isn't responding, neither the automated distress systems. Seems like the general energy protocols are deactivated and only the emergency firmware is online and the landing and cargo bays are shielded, so _there is_ life support running but no trace of artificial gravity. No weapons systems, no comms, no navigation. It's almost a ghost ship, save the fact that it's inhabitable, at least."

"If the systems were to be restarted, how long would it take?"

"In which scenario are you considering this information?"

"Direct approach." he answered, quickly.

"Primary defense systems can be ready to fire in around thirty eight seconds after power restart, which would take another seventy six seconds. The MACs will take much longer. You have plenty of time to approach and board. I'd be more worried about the surprises I can find at the landing zone." the AI paused, looked towards John and tilted her helmeted head. Her crystalline gray eyes stared at him. "Anything else I can do for you, Master Chief?"

"Get a Pelican running, we're closing in."

"On the double." she replied, and disappeared.

John moved towards the holo-pad and clicked in the memory card, transferring Sigrid from the ship's systems into his MJOLNIR. He'd been sleeping in erratic cycles, eating sporadically and pretty much avoiding cryo-sleep with all of his might, but he felt as ready and committed with his objectives as ever.

It was the anger, firing up his determination like gasoline on flames.

He entered a corridor as Sigrid finished setting herself up within the systems. Her presence wasn't like a cold rush like Cortana's, it made him feel the texture of something rugged against the tips of his fingers, a ghostly sensation.

 _"Master Chief, I apologize for my behavior."_ she said, her grumpy voice muffled through his mind. _"I misled you to believe I was just a dumb AI so you wouldn't reject my company. I was wrong."_

"I suspected you were a Smart AI."

She didn't say anything for a lapse of five seconds (an eternity) and then:

_"How? I was careful not to..."_

"Dumb AIs aren't that spirited, since they can’t process synthesized emotions. You showed signs of worry more than once." he answered, still serious. "I should have checked on your service number to be sure."

Sigrid didn't say anything else, closing the subject for good.

When the Chief arrived to the bridge of the Challenger, everyone was waiting for him, they all needed their orders. First, he looked at Cortana and SPARTANS DeMarco, Madsen, Hoya, Grant and Thorne and pointed aft.

"Let's get going." he said, then turned towards the Lieutenant that would remain in charge of the ship, a tall but somewhat skinny woman with dark hair and big rounded dark eyes. "Drop us and leave. Sigrid already plotted your course and nobody knows if we're alone out here."

"We'd rather stay and keep you covered." the Lieutenant said, serious.

"Lieutenant, I have strategic command of this operation. Honor will do you no good neither will help us. I need you to take the _Challenger_ as close as possible to FLEETCOM and alert them about the hijacking of the _Infinity_ , I doubt this is a fact known by anyone. That ship isn't going anywhere else on my account."

His voice rumbled through the bridge, but he had no need to shout.

Cortana felt her spine shudder. She liked when he talked like that, imposing but still polite, it made her heart beat faster, her blood rush.

The Lieutenant gulped, nervous. He sure was tall, his faceless figure was certainly intimidating but she wasn't afraid of _him_ , anyway. She was afraid of something quite bigger and potentially worse than a SPARTAN.

 _Survivor's guilt_.

"Fair enough, I can’t disagree with you there." the woman replied, in the end. She stood straight and saluted, as did the rest of her crew. "Good luck, SPARTANS."

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**MAIN LANDING DECK THROUGH S-DECK**

**11:24 PM standard time**

 

Sigrid was right about the 'surprises' at the landing zone: there were booby-traps all over the place (which were poorly placed, as if it was some kind of dangerous joke). First, the Pelican entered the bay and crashed against a security net concealed within the shadows, which scrambled with the turbines and nearly made John lose control of the drop-ship. After a bumpy landing, Sigrid alerted them about live explosive cargo hidden inside crates scattered across the deck, behind or beneath parked vehicles or ships. They made it through the twisted minefield without any further incidents and reached the S-Deck, which was absolutely dark.

Aided by night-vision, the squad moved onward quickly; John and the two dogs first, then Cortana accompanied by Thorne and Grant, and the rest of fire-team Majestic closing the rear. Their magnetic boots clicked loudly against the gratings; if _someone_ was listening, then she already knew they were aboard.

The target was the entrance of the lower maintenance decks; Cortana needed to reach the main servers and retrieve Roland's original memory card in order to discover what happened and get some help.  

"What the hell happened here?" asked Madsen, via TEAMCOM.

"It gives me the creeps, guys." said Hoya, grimly. "It looks like everyone just vanished or something."

"It's like a horror movie." Grant added, her voice wasn't warm either.

John focused on Charley and the other dog, named Walter. Both of them were ahead, trotting relatively close to the Chief and watching the surroundings. Their steps were silent, since the devices that held them stuck to the floor were around their ankles and halfway up their legs, not covering their sensitive paws.

But the Chief had to admit that Hoya was right about something: there were no dead bodies to be seen. He chose to catalogue the fact as positive.

The dogs stopped at an intersection, and sniffed the air.

Cortana approached John and tugged on his forearm, drawing his attention.

"Chief, I have a bad feeling about this." she said, over their private channel.

"Me too." he answered.

 _"Life signals detected."_ Sigrid interrupted, over TEAMCOM. _"And there's some company, too."_

She displayed on the team's HUDs a small map of the surroundings, with several green dots inside a large enclosed space and at least seven other red dots outside the place, not far from their current location. Cortana's heart throbbed and she gasped when she read the indications.

"That's inside the S-Deck's med-bay." she started. "Look, there's an entrance to the lower decks twenty meters ahead from that place, we can gather the survivors and keep going."

"They will only slow us down." John declared, serious.

"The Chief is right, but we still should check on them." interrupted DeMarco.

Suddenly, the lights came to life with violent blinks and the metallic walls around them screeched, like a giant monster stretching from a long nap. John stopped dead and crouched beside the wall, pushing Cortana down with him, the rest of the group stood up in tight back-to-back formation, in alert. The dogs were also silent but they crouched down too, ears moving like radars, carefully.

For a long moment, nothing else happened, as the screeching sound vanished. The systems were booting up. Things of all sorts and sizes fell and hit the floor everywhere, the gravity was back online too.

But then...

There was a soft bell-like tone over the main speaker system.

 _"Hello, John. Welcome home, do you like what I did with the place?"_ the Rampant Cortana's voice said, cheerfully. _"Let's play a little game. I give you three hours to find me, then I'll start venting atmosphere one deck at a time every thirty minutes. This ship is full of people who have nothing to do with our little quarrel and they are scattered all over. They can't go anywhere. So, you'd better hurry."_

The musical bells rang again, the comm channel was now closed.

John stood up slowly, blood boiling inside his veins. He never experienced before such an absurd and breathtaking urge to rip someone to shreds, but there it was, a nasty feeling crawling up and down his spine. He never considered himself a murderer either, but this time he was more than willing to make an exception and literally enjoy a well deserved kill.

Without a comment, John set a countdown clock starting at 2:59:59 hours.

Charley whined, sensing his turbulent mood.

"Three fucking hours?" Grant hissed, angry, from the back. "We can't sweep the entire ship in three hours!"

"We won't have to, there's power now." Cortana cut her, confidently. "Sigrid, can you tap into the system?"

 _"Working."_ the AI answered. After a full five-second cycle, she alleged: _"There is some serious layer-work on this firewall, sealed shut and tight. It might take me hours to unravel this mess and assess the damage, the code seems to be mutating every time I decrypt a small fraction of it."_

"We don't have the time." DeMarco inquired.

"Sigrid, can you find Roland?" Cortana insisted.

_"He's not here. There's... something else. It's not the dumb AIs, this doesn't match any known patterns."_

Cortana's eyes opened wide open. She knew the feeling, it was buried deep within her memory. The prowling, the poking. The shadow. A foreign entity roaming through the circuitry, along with her, like a shark in deep, dark water.

"Sigrid, get out of there! They downloaded an alien AI inside the system!"

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

_What is John to Eleven?_

I guess that being a splinter of the original AI Cortana implies things, right? Cortana feels something stronger than just friendship and loyalty; Seven loves John on her own twisted murderous way, and even the little Cortana -Twelve- cherishes him. We haven't seen about Two yet (soon, there are still things to sort out regarding her) but what about Eleven? Well, I believe he loves John the same way he loves Cortana and the rest of his sisters, as family. Besides, ACTION again! Yeah! Gosh, I feel so much adrenaline every time these guys get in combat situations (sort of).

**Thanks for being around! Please, don't go to the next chapter without saying something about what happened here! :)**


	22. Sweeping Tour

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Here's to your fellow comrade from ff.net who guessed the right answer, _Hyperdragon97_. Keep your mouth shut and your fingers tied, pal. Nobody else must know for now. This chapter is in your honor. -hugs-

**21\. SWEEPING TOUR**

_proofread and correction by: SL4Y3R -hugs-_

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK'S MED-BAY**

**11:42 PM standard time - mission clock: 02:59:12**

 

_"Sigrid, get out of there! They downloaded an alien AI inside the system!"_

Sigrid spun on her heels, metaphorically speaking, when she sensed the presence.

Something was overlapping with her.

Before she realized, the foreign AI tapped into her shell code prowling out in the open between endless streams of data. If it could be described physically, it would be as an octopus: many dynamically encrypted tentacles protected by thick layers of firewalls, with a ravenous code programmed to absorb other sources of information.

To absorb other AIs, and make them part of a new entity. Like the Flood.

Good thing that ninety-five percent of her was still safe with the Master Chief. She could take the challenge, see which one of them was the best digital warrior, but Sigrid retreated as Cortana suggested since it was a reconnaissance and she shouldn't be picking fights with strangers. Yet, leaving that _usurper_ wander free at the _Infinity_ 's net was disappointing, somewhat disloyal.

The Smart AI flowed towards the exit port but she couldn't make it. It wasn't that the port was closed, this strange AI was somehow 'grabbing' her code and pulling her back into the depths of the network. She fought back, decrypting the alien strands trying to merge with hers as fast as she could, but the other AI was rewriting itself extremely fast. She could sense it, a shadow growing bigger and bigger around her: the more she fought, the faster it multiplied.

It didn't seem that smart, but it was a predator. A dangerous one.

She had to make the choice. Sigrid gave up part of the code already under control of the entity, she wouldn't miss those routines anyway. She kept retreating, crawling as she fought the digital tentacles of her attacker, until she found the port and transferred herself completely inside her memory chip.

The link broke and Sigrid quickly reviewed the environment. No more shadows overlapping with her. The whole thing didn't last more than thirty seconds since Cortana gave the order and Sigrid could comply, but for her it was like hours of something only describable as fear. That would be ridiculous, Sigrid knew that she wasn't human, so she wasn't afraid. Still, she ran checksums of her code until she was certain that nothing of the foreign AI came into the Chief's MJOLNIR armor with her. 

It was _partially_ true. The shadow wasn't there anymore, but the 'feeling' persisted.

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK'S MED-BAY**

**11:43 PM standard time - mission clock: 2:58:42**

 

"She's in." John announced. "Let's move, now."

Sigrid left the _Infinity_ 's network at the same time a sound like thunder came from the hallway, making everyone lay down once more. Then there was another thunder, and a third. Someone was pounding on something metallic with a heavy instrument, not so far away from the SPARTANS.

The next sound was utterly familiar: plasma weapons firing.

Roaring and cursing in alien language, too. John stood up and with a strong hand signal commanded the group to move forward, fast. Weapons ready and fangs bare the SPARTANS and the dogs approached an ample resting area in which seven Sangheili Storms were forcing a set of blast doors to open, with Sangheili number eight lying on the floor in a pool of its own purple blood.

 _"This is the company I warned you about."_ Sigrid said.

"Oh, look at that. In case you were getting bored." mumbled Madsen, nervous.

Faint human screams called out Cortana's attention. _Children's voices._ A chill ran through her body and she removed the plasma rifle from her back, ready to pounce and kill. She wasn't scared now, just furious. But when she was about to move, the barrel of a heavy weapon slid through the small crack between the two doors and plucked right into the open mandibles of an unaware Elite shouldering at the gates.

The result was an explosion that burst through brains and bone.

“How do you like my shotgun now, squid-head?” Dr. Quinn's voice yelled from behind the doors.

The Sangheili Storm twitched and fell backwards, his face smashed in purple pulp and dark burnt patches. The rest of them ducked to cover immediately except for one in gray armor that stood forward and thrust his own weapon through the gap, firing inside. There were more human screams, someone was hit. Cortana didn't even make it to raise her rifle: John and SPARTAN Madsen killed five of the remaining Elites with expertly placed shots, lightning-fast, but the sixth realized what happened to his fellow comrades and ran. The alien slid through another corridor, calling out for his brethren.

John just patted Charley on her hip, twice.

The dog bared her huge fangs, growling, and shot ahead leaving Walter behind. Both animals dashed disappearing from sight and a heartbeat later, as the SPARTANS moved through the resting area tainted in purple blood and dead Elites, an amalgam of monstrous sounds came back from the darkness.

Cortana just stared at the empty hallway, shocked.

She snapped out of it when she heard the voices:

"Dr. Quinn!" Tedra called out, crouching near the gap. "This is SPARTAN Grant. Are you all right?"

The silence stretched, only disrupted by weak cries and frightened voices coming from far inside the med-bay. John stood guarding along with DeMarco as Thorne and Hoya kneeled beside the blast doors, weapons ready. After a few seconds of nothing, the barrel of the shotgun peeked through the crack.

"Who else is there?" the woman demanded, her voice stern.

"Doctor, it's Cortana. We came back as fast as we could. I have the entire fire-team Majestic and the Master Chief with me. Is anyone injured? Please, open the doors."

"Either this is my lucky day or I'm fucking dead." the Doctor sighed and the gun retreated, then she appeared at the gap. Her tired face was splattered in purple blood, she looked at everyone and her eyes lingered over John's armored figure. A worn-out smile stretched her lips. "I'm afraid the doors are jammed, we smashed the circuitry and the manual overrides so no one would get inside. You'll probably need a Scorpion tank to break through."

John considered using a few plasma grenades and prove the Doctor wrong, but...

"How many civilians do you have in there?" DeMarco asked out loud, stealing the Chief’s thought.

"As many as I could gather and get to safety." the woman answered, serious.

The team leader just nodded. She was a Lieutenant Commander, after all; aside from being Chief Medical Officer of the _Infinity_ , Dr. Marilyn Quinn used to be a very resourceful soldier and field medic back in the day.

"So, if you're trapped, how did you get the weapons?" that was John's inquiry.

The Doctor smirked.

"Very clever, Master Chief. There's another way in to the med-bay, I'm afraid it's nothing glamorous but I think all of you can fit through. Hold position for a moment, I'll draw you a map."

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK'S MED-BAY**

**11:47 PM standard time - mission clock: 2:53:58**

 

Cortana assessed the amount of injured and scared civilians scattered across the main aisle of the S-Deck's med-bay, disturbed.

She counted at least sixty people, at least a quarter of that number were children. There were some SPARTANS, only a handful and mostly dressed in their undersuits, but armed and ready to fight. Whatever happened, it was quick and broke the chain of command in half. It was a disaster. She could imagine the situation, people trying to get somewhere safe, to grab a weapon; the disorientation and panic. Seven crippled the crew by taking from them two of their most important assets: the ability to feel ground beneath their feet and their sight. Cortana's breath thickened.

In her head she only saw mayhem, and this was the consequence.

Dr. Quinn dashed back and forth checking on the children and the injured, she had a smoking plasma burn on her left arm herself but didn't seem that worried about it. The woman was right when she said the way into the med-bay wasn't glamorous. Climbing up the duct of the morgue’s elevator wasn't easy for six armored SPARTANS either, but the squad accomplished the objective. The duct was too tight for an Elite. John gathered Charley and Walter before starting the climb, their armored harnesses were covered in purple blood and their muzzles still damp with darker fluids. Yet the looks in the dogs' eyes were calm, compliant.

Cortana looked at the children, some of them were crying but all of them definitely scared. She reflected about these kids and thought of John, trying to imagine what kind of childhood the Chief thought he had growing up to become the perfect war machine. She suddenly felt an urge to have eyes on him.

John was talking to Dr. Quinn now, so Cortana approached them carefully.

"Those are Jul 'Mdama's Elites." he observed, coldly.

"You mean _those_ _were_ Jul 'Mdama's Elites." the Doctor stated, laying the shotgun over her shoulder. "And you can figure they weren't here for my popsicles. I can fill you in about what I know."

"Go ahead."

"Somewhere between trying to get here in zero gravity and those freaks banging at the doors a moment ago I lost track of time, but I guess we’ve been in hiding for over a week.” the woman sighed. "It all happened really fast, one moment I was gathering the kids at the main medical deck for routine exams and next it was absolute darkness, people screaming and my feet floating. We're running short on supplies and medicines, but at least the children are okay, none of them was injured. That's all I care about... thank God we have power now, the artificial gravity is a blessing."

"Are you the officer in charge, ma'am?"

Dr. Quinn shook her head. "That would be Commander Palmer, she's taking care of some Elite vermin across the bay, we heard noises before. I have a few members of fire-teams Crimson, Sygma, Taurus, Drachma and Clover with me but no armor, only vests. Strakovsky here has been peeking into their comms, the Elites recently started sweeping through every deck looking for human prisoners, but they don't kill anyone. They're taking them aft, towards the engine room."

She looked at a young Marine that was sitting on the floor, surrounded by several devices, holding half a headphone to his ear and taking notes with a tac-pad. The man seemed utterly focused.

"Any hint on why are they taking people there?" Cortana asked, troubled.

"For what we've heard the Elites don't know, they're just following orders."

"Then we go aft too." the Master Chief stated, serious. He checked on the mission clock, fixed at the upper left corner of his HUD: it said 2:43:14. Nearly twenty minutes wasted already? "Did you hear the recent broadcast?"

"Yes. I guess you don't have much time, you should get going."

"You will have more company very soon." Cortana said, her voice full of concern.

"It’s okay. I have a shotgun and a handful of SPARTANS, what could go wrong?" the woman smiled, exhausted.

"John! John!"

John froze, immediately, Cortana just frowned. The sweet voice of a young child poured through the aisle, like a ray of sunshine. Then, this little figure broke from the crowd and ran into the Chief's leg, hugging his armored calf as she laughed, looking up at his faceplate. He didn't step away. And Cortana dropped her jaw when John kneeled down to reach for the child.

The little girl attempted a sloppy salute that he responded. Cortana was stunned.

She laughed again, her sweet blue eyes full of joy.

"Yeah, it's me." John said, his strong voice a little softer. "Are you okay?"

The child only stared at him, the smile on her face was permanent.

Then, Cortana understood. That was _Subject Twelve_ , one of her original splinters. She didn't know how to react, what to say or even think. She'd never actually met the child before (or the other one, Subject Two) and now she couldn't do anything else but stare. Dr. Quinn bent down to pick up the girl in her arms, resting the shotgun against her thigh, and the Chief followed them. The child poked at John's shoulderplate a few times by leaning away from the Doctor, stretching her arms as far as she could.

"I don't know where the other one is." the Doctor said, saddened. "I lost her in the mayhem. I'm sorry, I hope she's..."

The woman didn't finish the sentence, it was a futile aspiration anyway. If Subject Two's brain was highly damaged, as Eleven once stated, it was more likely that she was unable to protect herself, let alone survive against highly trained Elite warriors. Cortana felt her heart shrink a little. She looked at the soft features of her little sister's face; so young, innocent. How could her former digital self spawn a being like this? And what part of the _original Cortana_ was this child, exactly? She couldn't figure it out. It didn't seem like the little one recognized her, either, worth to say the little girl didn’t even pay attention to her, she only had eyes for the Chief.

"John!" the child cried, when the older woman tried to take her away.

"No, no. This is no place for you right now, honey." Dr. Quinn decided.

"It's fine." John said, surprising Cortana and the Doctor. He moved his hand to reach for the child, just for a second or two. The little Cortana was about to cry, but she grabbed his thumb with both of her tiny hands. "It will be all right. I promise."

She swallowed her tears and let him go when John retreated, slowly.

Dr. Quinn left, muttering an almost silent _'thank you'_. Cortana felt a strange heat grow inside her chest, it was a happy, comfortable sensation. Tenderness, maybe. She'd never seen him like this, it was so reassuring to know that deep down there, under layer after layer of hardened warrior, John was still a person.

A person she loved, she reminded herself.  

She looked admiringly at him again, his attention was somewhere else and maybe he didn't realize that she was staring. It was better that way.

Suddenly, Charley and Walter howled in unison and then dashed to the next aisle, out of the blue. A moment later the mutts came back escorting Commander Palmer and a small group of S-IV's, some of them with minor injuries. When she turned around, Sarah recognized fire-team Majestic, the Master Chief and Cortana, since the latter wasn't wearing her helmet. She took her helmet off, the look on her face (aside from the small plasma burns scars over her right cheek and eyebrow) wasn't a welcoming one. The Commander strode towards them, as fast as her limping right leg allowed.

"Well, it was about damn time." Sarah said, dryly. "I knew the ship's power and gravity were back on because of something important. It's good to see your asses in one piece, SPARTANS."

"Commander on deck!" DeMarco snapped to attention.

All six SPARTANS regrouped and saluted the woman, including John.

"Nice suit, ma'am." Grant said, standing still.

The officer saluted back. She was wearing a rare MJOLNIR GEN2 shaded in dark gray with safety-yellow strips, clearly borrowed from the workshops. It was way too colorful, she looked like a deadly (and impressive) test dummy.

"It's a little tight on the chest but it's something since my armor is busted." Sarah explained, shrugging. "How the hell is it that you're here?"

"Actually, Commander, it was quite the endeavor to start with." Cortana said.

She took a minute to report about the mission at shield-world _Paragon_ and what they found there. She tried not to recall the desperation, the paranoia. She didn't mention the moment when she thought Eleven was the Spike's informant, but she narrated about leaving him behind with half of their crew, working on the retrieval of the Forerunner energy generator. It wasn't just a coincidence, she was trying to make that clear. Palmer heard her out attentively and with every word that came out of Cortana's mouth, the darker the features of the Commander became.

It was bad. And it was about to become even worse, that was for sure.

"Where's the Captain?" inquired Thorne, concerned.

"Arrested." Palmer said, with a hint of anger in her voice. "Osman put him in custody when she heard about what he did to help the Master Chief." the look she gave towards John was on fire, but she wasn't going to break all Hell loose over him at that moment, there were more important things to take care of. "I swear, Tom has a thing for pissing off every commanding officer that comes around; the higher the brass, the more exciting it seems to be. Look, life support it's been online but the air quality is getting poorer by the hour now. It wasn't made to run indefinitely in this conditions. Without Roland to take over the systems, we're doomed."

"Manual overrides?" the Chief dared to ask.

Palmer shook her head. "Backup only."

"So, Cortana was right. We need to get Roland back." stated Thorne.

"If he's not already been corrupted. There's an alien AI in the system now, Sigrid ran into it a few minutes ago." Cortana said. "I need to be at the main server rooms and extract Roland's matrix before this infection can get him, it’s the direct option."

"You'd have to get the Captain first. You need a security code to enter there and he has the clearance."

"What about Admiral Osman?" that was Hoya's inquiry.

"I don't know where she is, but I know where we can find Tom. And now there's a bunch of 'Mdama's goons between us and him, so pack up and let's get moving. Chief, I'm relieving you from command." the Commander stated, serious.

If she was somewhat expecting him to resist the order, she got disappointed:

"Aye-aye, ma'am." he answered in the same fashion.

That would give him freedom to move across the ship way faster, if Cortana could keep up his pace. He wouldn’t have to worry about anything else than completing the assignment and acquiring the target.

"SPARTANS! Gather around!" snapped Sarah, out loud. In few seconds she was surrounded by her soldiers. "Listen up. We have power and gravity now, but this doesn't mean it's going to be a piece of cake. We're scattered across the _Infinity_. We have two hundred and fifty of the best soldiers the UNSC could produce against a bunch of Elites and a rampant AI spawn. I say we regroup and take them down one by one."

The S-IVs agreed at unison, with a loud 'hooray'.

"Split in teams of three, your first objective is to get armed and armored, ASAP. Secondary objective, assemble with any other SPARTANS you can find, secure your positions and move aft the ship. Turn every split-jaw on your way into a dead body. If you find civilians, protect them; if you find Marines or ODSTs, gather them. Release as many human prisoners as you can find. Priority target one is the Rampant Spike: _if you spot her, you kill her_. Request Sigrid AI for TEAMCOM links once you're suited up, and for God's sake, don't die on me. Am I clear?"

Another spirited 'hooray' agreed with her orders, the SPARTANS seemed eager to get into action again. Their faces only showed hunger for blood and vengeance.

John felt a bit bothered about that order. He was expecting to be the one to kill the Spike once and for all, but something deep inside him told him that he still had chances for a real showdown with that murderer. Somehow, John had the vague idea that ending the Spike's life was _his_ job, and _his alone_.

He didn't know where that thought came from, but it disturbed him.

"Good. Move out, people!” Palmer howled, at last.

Fire-team Majestic looked at each other trying to decide how they would split into smaller teams (which meant who would go with Cortana and John). However, the Commander approached them with wary eyes.

"Wait." she said, grabbing DeMarco's shoulder. "Grant, you come with me, we're going to find the Captain. Go get some ammo. The rest of you, move your asses, those Elites won't kill themselves." she dismissed the team with a wave of her hand and they all left, immediately.

"What about us?" Cortana asked.

Palmer looked straight into John's faceplate, slightly tilting her chin up.

"You know? Lasky didn't listen to me, but I said it. I said that you would get us all killed, remember? This mess is _on you_. People died and more people will die, and it's on you, Master Chief." she started, her voice cold as ice, then turned to look at Cortana; the other woman looked shocked. " _Both of you_ will find Roland and get the _Infinity_ under human control again. I'll get you that security code. Did I make myself clear?"

Cortana wanted to say something regarding the matter of who was to be blamed, but John saluted the Commander with a strong gesture (a little stiff, maybe) and nodded once, cutting his companion off.

"Yes, ma'am." his voice sounded flat, emotionless.

The Commander stared at them as they left, quickly. She was angry, yes, but out of impotence. Out of stress and disappointment. Out of grief and fear. She'd been holding up almost blind and in zero-gee for over a damn week to protect her people and she was worn out, hungry, her recently rebuilt leg and arm hurt like hell. But she wasn't giving up, and she was certain that the Master Chief wouldn't give up either.

Sometimes, she just had to be the bitch _and push_. It was an occupational hazard.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**CO QUARTERS DECK**

**0:29 AM standard time - mission clock: 2:01:34**

 

The COs deck was swarming with Elites.

They obviously were aware of the strategic importance of holding or killing as many commanding officers as they could find, but this was ridiculous. As carefully as they could, Commander Palmer's team (Tedra Grant, a medic in trooper's armor and Walter, one of the only two UNSC K-9 agents left alive for what the Commander knew) moved quickly between the shadows of the corridors, taking out any alien they could reach as silently as possible. That way, they made it to the second level of quarters near the bridge of the ship, where Captain Lasky was supposed to be still imprisoned. He was a Captain, after all; Osman could have gone full bitch-mode on him and just thrown him into a cell at the prison block, but at least she allowed him to keep his dignity.

Sarah leaned in to peek around the corner, for half a second.

She registered four Elites walking down the corridor, heading away from her. All armed with long ranged weapons. She and Grant could take them, hell, she could take all four of them alone if she wished so, but she needed to be practical and brutal. With a quick hand signal, they attacked. Two quick shots, one stab right in the eye and Walter ripped to shreds the throat of the fourth Elite; the alien enemies were down within five seconds, the corridor fell silent.

"Sigrid, are we alone?"

Sigrid used the sensors embedded in Sarah's armor to check the environment.

ALL CLEAR. PROCEED.

"Thanks. The Captain's quarters are around the next corner."

"Do we even know if the Admiral is alive?" Tedra asked, concerned.

"I don't know and honestly, I don't care about her right now." Palmer spat back.

“Commander, I’m seriously worried about the Captain. He’s been in lockdown for almost nine days now, without food or water. If he’s alive…” the medic started. "Well, I'm not sure that I have what I need to treat him."

“Let’s hope the Remnant didn’t find him first.” stated Sarah, her voice stern.

She didn’t want to think about it, but she was worried about Lasky too. No, she wasn’t just worried, she was terrified. She didn’t want to run into his quarters and find him lying on the corridor's gratings with his guts turned inside out. Death by starvation would be worse than any plasma powered weapon, she was certain; it was a sluggish, hopeless torture. Those images only fueled her determination to run faster, almost leaving the squad behind.

The door seemed to be in one piece, the Elites didn't make it to blow it up unlike they've seen across the previous quarters. That gave Sarah a little hope. She quickly typed a nine digit code on the door's pad. Tedra and the medic looked at her, intensely. The Commander tilted her head back as the pad flared from red to green and the door unlocked with a click.

"I'm in charge of security, you know?" she said, clearing her throat. "There's only three people aboard this ship who have access to the skeleton-key override."

"We didn't say anything, ma'am." the other SPARTAN shook her head, amused.

Sarah pushed the door open, presenting her gun first.

It was a bit dark inside. Her fingers brushed the desk's side and found the lamp's switch, she turned the amber light on. The room seemed empty, the dim blue emergency lights were blinking, the bed was undressed and the sheets and covers twisted aside. She went in first, followed by the enhanced dog, the medic and Tedra at last.

"Captain Lasky?" she called, softly.

Nothing. Not even a squeak.

"Captain?" she called again, a little louder. "It's Commander Palmer."

Her heart throbbed, blood pumping in her ears. Where was he? Maybe he hid in the bathroom, for safety, since he had no weapons. The Captain's quarters were larger than regular officer's, which meant the place had two main rooms: the bedroom-slash-bathroom, which was perfectly visible from where she was standing, and the study with its desk, a couple of chairs, a file cabinet stacked above a minibar and two closets. Then, Sarah realized that Walter was growling and scratching the door of one of the closets. He managed to open the narrow cabinet and the Commander saw something pale fall under the edge of the half lidded door.

A human hand.

"Tom!" Sarah hissed, scared. She burst the door open and found him.

He was unconscious, crouching inside the closet, clutching an ornamented letter opener as a weapon.

"Tom, come on!" she shouted this time. "Wake up! Hey, can you hear me?"

Sarah grabbed the man by the armpits and hauled him back to the bed, he wasn't responding. The letter opener fell from his hands. Walter crawled with them, whining, sniffing. Sarah had to push aside the massive dog for the medic to come forward and tend to the Captain's state; the man opened his briefcase and sorted out the contents.

"Come on, boy, step back." Tedra dragged the dog backwards, to keep him calm.

"Captain!"

The Commander sat on the bed, clutching the man's body against her armored frame. She held him tight and rattled him a little. The medic stuck a small green patch to the Captain's neck, right where his nine-day beard ended, and tapped across the surface of a pad. The sensor patch immediately scanned him.

"The pulse is weak but steady. He's stable. Dehydrated but stable." the medic said.

"Wake up, Tom!"

"Commander! He's fine, you shouldn't...!"

It wasn't enough for Sarah. She slapped Lasky on the face a few times until he startled and groaned. He opened his eyes and maybe it took him a few seconds to realize what was going on, but when he saw her, he understood.

"Sarah." the Captain whispered, his voice raspy.

"Thank God!" she huffed.

The medic prepared a syringe-gun with a certain formula and injected the content at the man's neck, beside the sensor patch. Tom winced, but didn't complain. Palmer helped him to sit down, still pressed against her breastplate.

"Your face." he whispered, his thumb softly caressed the dotted plasma scars across her right cheek and eyebrow. It wasn't bad, but that wasn't there the last time he saw her. "I'm glad you're okay."

The Commander blushed violently, her skin burning in embarrassment.

The medic handed Lasky a bottle of water, he drank.

"Easy, easy, sir. You shouldn't drink that much yet." the other man said, softly, but the Captain didn't listen. "Oh, well, what the hell."

"How are you feeling?" Sarah asked, worried.

Lasky dropped the bottle after it was empty. "Tired. Hungry, thirsty, you want the whole list? I had barely a bottle of water in my cabinet and not a single knife. The food wasn't the problem." he showed them a plastic-wrapped piece of candy from his jacket's pocket. "I knew it would come in handy someday, that it wasn't just a guilty pleasure."

 _Snickers_. She realized now that there were maybe a dozen empty wrappings scattered across the room.

Sarah dropped her head and shoulders, in deep relief.

"Your personal stash." she recalled, her voice trembling of sheer happiness.

"I was a bit low on reserves but I had a plan."

"You never cease to amaze me, Tom."

"Do I?" he tried to smile.

"Oh, God. You need a toothbrush."

"And you need a shower. We both do, actually."

The medic cleared his throat, while packing the contents of his suitcase again.

"Okay, we're even and we're leaving now." said Sarah "Can you walk? Because I can carry you if you can't."

"I think I can handle walking." Tom refused. "Fill me in with the basics, how long have I been here?"

"You're not even in condition of being Captain of a bathtub boat right now, I'm in charge. We're heading back to the S-Deck's med-bay and you will stay there with Dr. Quinn and her team. You hear me?" she stated, all serious in Commander-mode. Lasky nodded in agreement, as serious as she was, yet he couldn't help but smirk a bit. "Now, give me your clearance codes, Cortana needs them. She and the Master Chief are going to take back the ship."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

There's something that bothers me _a lot_ , and it's people that hates Sarah Palmer. I'm not saying YOU, magnificent people who stops by to read this story, are the ones who hate her, no. I've been sweeping through some forums lately and a lot of fans seem to hate Sarah a lot, but these fans are never clear _about why_. It saddens me a lot to see so much hatred, that's all, personally I loved Palmer since the first time I saw her interact with John (it seemed to me that she was just being amicable, not arrogant). That's why I try to make my female OCs worthy, likable, but above all, real human beings.

Anyway, you tell me. I've introduced different sides of Cortana and female OCs with their own attitudes, what do you think about them?

**Don't leave me hanging! Let's meet again next Sunday and have a good time ^^ Review, fav or follow if you like!**


	23. Tearing Apart

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**22\. TEARING APART**

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**NAVIGATION AISLE - BRIDGE**

**standard time not recorded**

 

The Rampant Cortana knew that the Master Chief was aboard (and Subject Three was with him), and her attention was set on him.

The problem was that she had no eyes on the SPARTAN or his team and she couldn't access the video feed of the ship without rebooting Roland, the _Infinity_ 's main AI. Doing such thing wasn't a good idea. She was certain that John and her flawed sister would try to get Roland back online (it would have been her first objective too), so she had already taken care of that. The Spike nicely demanded Jul 'Mdama to spare one of his monstrous security AIs from the _Song of Retribution_ 's network. The digital creature would keep the Chief away from spoiling her fun for a while, even if she couldn't use it to take over the automated systems.

"What would you do now, John?" she said out loud. "Where would you go first?"

Her venomous smile only grew wider, as she thought of him.

'Mdama went ahead and set off a distraction: he commanded his men to sweep the ship and take every human prisoner aft, while the Spike and her sparse navigation crew would stay at the bridge. The Elite leader wanted to face the Demon, at all costs. The Rampant Cortana knew John better... would he think that she was at the bridge, or at the engine room? Would he go after her, or try to save the hostages? Which would it be?

Both were risky options for any regular soldier, but she had to keep in mind that John wasn't anywhere near being an ordinary man.

It was immensely amusing. She just couldn't wait to see the results.

The non-automated navigation systems, however, were online; she was ready to get the _Infinity_ into slip-space. The Spike had plotted an intricate set of coordinates that would take them to Earth in less than sixty hours, by pushing the Forerunner engines to the verge of hazardous overheating conditions. Dr. Halsey had to check her calculations and approve them, she had no choice after all. If it didn't make the engines explode in the middle of slip-space, damning them all to the Hell of unexplored quantum physics, the whole ordeal would nearly ruin a big part of the ship. So, even if (by any chance) Seven didn't succeed with her original plan, the biggest pride of the UNSC would be left crippled beyond repair.

 _She let him in._ She wanted John aboard because she had plans for him.

But the Rampant Cortana wasn't counting on Dr. Halsey's schemes, neither had she realized when the scientist disappeared from the bridge.

 

**SEPTEMBER 7TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**SOMEWHERE NEARBY THE ENGINEERING DECK**

**11:35 PM standard time**

 

Catherine Halsey was a woman of many resources.

She knew her way around the _Infinity_ like the back of her hand (she had a lot to do with the design and building of that vessel, after all), so it wasn't hard for her to avoid the Rampant Spike's surveillance and escape. The computers at the engineering deck were the best shot she could ever have to retrieve the data she needed so much. The Spike hijacked the ship for her own purposes, but she dropped a piece of information that the Doctor found utterly appealing. If she was right (and Dr. Halsey was always right), it could only be the secret location of the _Fortress_ , the last known reliquary of all Forerunner knowledge. 

She needed those coordinates, it was her last chance to access the _Domain_ before it was forever out of her grasp.

She didn't have to run or hide from the Sangheili, 'Mdama's Elites were ordered not to harm her in any way. They wouldn't even look at her twice if she happened to cross their paths.

The SPARTANS, however, were an entirely different matter: they were already on the move and any of them would shoot her on sight, she had the feeling. She'd seen a few on her way through the corridors already. The Doctor had an advantage: she was small-framed, she could quickly crawl into reduced spaces and hide if suddenly she felt in danger. Besides, killing SPARTANS was out of her capabilities, Halsey decided that unless it was Sarah Palmer, she wasn't interested in hurting any good soldier.

The Doctor ran through the shadows towards the main engineering deck, wishing for no further delays.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**FIRST LEVEL MAINTENANCE DECKS**

**1:13 AM standard time - mission clock: 1:17:05**

 

"How _dare_ she to say that to you?" Cortana whispered, angrily. "Like you wanted this to happen, _what is wrong_ with the Commander?"

John didn't answer at first, he didn't have much to say. The Commander already contacted them to send the clearance code and that was all. No time for chatter. He didn't stop to analyze Palmer's tone over the comm, it wasn't important.

But a little later, he responded: "She's right."

"No, she isn't. Palmer can't pin this on you just because Seven is losing her mind and she wants you dead, or whatever the hell she wants with you. It's unfair, Chief. You've done nothing but try to end this."

"Exactly." he said, looking over his shoulder. "It should be done by now."

"No, listen to me!" Cortana stopped in the middle of the dark passage, raising her voice. She was shaking in rage, the HARPY hissed over her body. It irritated her to no end when other people underestimated John because he was taught to keep his mouth shut and obey blindly. "It was all _me._ All because of me, because I'm too stubborn to stay away from you. I was going rampant and you tried to save me, then I died and I just couldn't stay dead, could I? The weight of all these lost lives, it lays on _my shoulders_ , Chief, _not yours_. You're _still trying_ to save me! Someday you will kill yourself doing..."

"Cortana."

That was his _'this is not the time'_ tone, mixed with a little of ' _stop doing that to yourself'_. It was good that they were holding that conversation over a private sub-channel and not out loud, otherwise the Elites walking over their heads would have killed them both already. John crouched against the passage's thick wall and looked at her for a moment, observing the signs of her distress; Cortana's body language gave her away. He even considered for a second or two sending her back to the med-bay, she wasn't much of a reliable soldier in such an emotional state.

But if someone could retrieve Roland safely, it was Cortana.

" _You_ listen _to me_." he started, serious. "I don't regret anything. _Anything_."

Cortana tilted her head up, took in a deep breath.

It wasn't that the pressure was finally getting to her, it was so much more. It had been nearly three weeks of uninterrupted agony, fear, uncertainty and now, consequences; it was one thing to hear about something and an entirely different matter to actually see it (feel it) with your own eyes. He could relate to that, somehow. John was so aware of her anguish that he could barely focus on anything else, let alone the proximity alert that Sigrid was displaying on his HUD.

"I fear for you, John."

"I know." he said, his voice softened only a little.

"An awful lot of people will be court-martialed because of me after this; if they live long enough to be arrested, that is. _I can feel it_. And I don't want you to be one of them, John. You don't have to make any more sacrifices for me."

John perched down his rifle, resting the heavy barrel against his thigh.

"We'll see about that." he growled, defiantly. "We have work to do."

Cortana took another deep breath and nodded, feeling a little embarrassed of her emotional outburst.

"Are we okay?" he asked, since she didn't answer.

"We're okay. I just wanted to say it, in case of... you know."

Hell, no. He didn't want to hear that.

John turned around, away from her. "Save it. We'll have plenty of time."

He patted Charley on the hip three times (commanding the dog to move forward and scout for threats) after checking on Sigrid's message. The Elites were standing right over them. There wasn't much light available but the road was clear and it was a straight line, they had to keep moving.

The UNSC battle dog lead them through a complex network of service tunnels below deck, to easily avoid the Elites patrolling above their heads. It was a small space for a man of the Chief's size and getting into a fight inside the ducts would be suicidal, but if there was a better route, they had no time to take it. The passageways were usually occupied with transportation platforms that carried supplies and equipment from the main cargo bays to the rest of the decks, providing a wide range of routes that ended not far from the server station.

It had taken them nearly thirty five minutes to get close to the exit point. Cortana couldn't help to look up from time to time, whenever she heard some woman or man screaming or an Elite roaring its lungs out. She clutched her plasma rifle with shaking hands. Her anger was evident as much as her worries.

The last stage of the route would be the hardest, but the Chief was ready.

"Wait." he crossed an arm before Cortana's chest, he was looking at Charley.

The dog was crouching in front of them, thirty feet ahead, listening.

"What is it?"

"I'm picking up something through Charley's interface."

John received in his own HUD the faint trace of movement near their position. The readings suggested that a hundred feet ahead of them the duct ended and there was an important crowd of Sangheili. The heat signatures were clear too, at least twelve of them. The enemy was concentrated exactly at their exit point.

Cortana saw it too, Sigrid replicated the report for her.

John pressed his lips in a hard line, while assessing the situation. The dog was so silent that it seemed like it wasn't even breathing, her ears and tail stiff.

"Any ideas?" Cortana whispered.

"Just one." John was so focused in the readings that he almost didn't pay thought about explaining the idea. He unclasped two plasma grenades from the small of his back and moved onward. "Cover me."

John patted Charley on the hip and moved onward, side by side. They barely fit together in the narrow duct. The woman proceeded too, following close, until a faint reddish glow at the end of the tunnel made them stop: there was a hydraulic door, the light filtered through the grating. Sigrid updated the readings again, placing every Sangheili Storm on the Chief's HUD with a red silhouette and a triangular marker floating above its head.

John put down his rifle and readied the grenades. The coolant started venting on his hands, with a low hiss. Arms resting over his thighs, he kept the explosives still until he heard the familiar clicking sound inside. Then, he kicked the door off its hinges.

_One..._

The Elites turned immediately towards the noise, when a piece of the wall came off flying over their heads and hit one of the aliens right in the face.

_Two..._

Two rounded objects flew in their general direction, one stuck to a dark purple piece of armor and the other fell on the floor grating, but it didn't bounce. The Sangheili barely had time to back off or deploy any other form of shielding.

The grenades went off, and before the enemies could realize, another two devices came out of nowhere and exploded beside them as well. The sudden flash of white left a bunch of Elites blind for a moment, another six were directly hit by the boiling ionized gasses; three aliens fell down dead with their faces and chests melted in a burnt purple mess, they were too close. There was a lot of roaring and weapons clicking, some blind firing, but none of that really mattered.

Someone sent an alert on the comm network, giving away position and situation. There was movement beyond the wall.

The confusion helped a large and fierce creature to emerge from the darkness. The Elites froze when it appeared: a monster covered in fur and combat gear with enormous fangs and flaming eyes, it moved on four massive legs. The beast fell upon the Elite closer to it and the powerful mandibles munched on the alien's flesh, a low and terrible growling sound accompanied the motion. They had never seen anything of the likes before, it was another kind of human demon. When the aliens snapped back to reality, the beast had already ripped out the throat of a second warrior.

That's when the shooting started.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**FIRST LEVEL MAINTENANCE DECKS**

**1:24 AM standard time - mission clock: 1:06:23**

 

John brushed off the purple blood from his faceplate.

The Elites made it to send an alert and now the hallways were compromised. It was time to move out in the open; a large backup squad was expected, so the Chief estimated they had pretty much fifteen minutes to locate the server stations and get Roland out. Charley killed four aliens on her own taking only a plasma sword injury that cut off one of her ears and busted a section of her headset. John shot another four Elites and Cortana finished off the last one: the creature hid in the shadows and attacked the Chief from behind in the heat of the confusion.

She put a bolt of plasma through its head. John never saw her so satisfied about killing something.

He checked all the dead bodies and picked up the functional plasma weapons, she took the swords and the ammo, pinning anything she couldn’t carry herself to Charley's armored harness.   

They were ready to move when the floor trembled. Cortana nearly lost her foot and the Chief shoved an arm to the wall to remain still. A few seconds later, an unknown force hit them making them fall flat on their backs. The dead Sangheili rolled violently towards the other end of the hallway, jumping off the floor and then bumping down again. Charley rolled over herself, whining, until she clawed the gratings.

A thundering sound ran echoing through the corridor, like the roar of an ancient metallic beast, and for a short moment the lights blinked and gravity failed.

Cortana grasped the gratings too, tried to stand on her feet again.

There was some sort of... _resistance_ in the air. Something pushed her body back.

John spread his feet, trying to remain steady against the force.

"What was that?" he barked, roughly.

 _"The Infinity just entered slip-space via an undetermined vector."_ Sigrid said, over the comm. Her voice sounded clipped, there was noise in the line. _"I'm picking up a lot of strange Cherenkov radiation readings through other SPARTANS' sensors, this is way off normal rates."_

"Meaning?"

_"Slip-space is a multilayer stream. We're diving in deeper than recommended."_

"It's the engines, Seven is over-clocking them. This could be very bad." Cortana explained, frightened. "She's taking us somewhere..."

 _"And we're going real fast."_ Sigrid completed Cortana's sentence. _"If this is an experimental course, I must say that manually calculated vectors may have unexpected outcomes. This could lead to overheating or overall core malfunction. We could end up bursting out in a billion pieces or disappearing forever, who knows."_

"Chief, this is worse than I thought." Cortana said, shaking her armored head.

"We have to run." John decided.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**FIRST LEVEL MAINTENANCE DECKS**

**1:33 AM standard time - mission clock: 0:57:34**

 

"It's here." she said, standing before a blast door striped in yellow.

John immediately turned his back to Cortana and held his rifle up. Charley trotted a few meters ahead to stand guard, hiding her massive frame against the wall.

Cortana opened Commander Palmer's last transmission and tapped the twenty-four digit clearance code on the doors' pad. Through the triple-layered acrylic windows she saw the tall server towers, the immensely powerful data center of the _Infinity_ ; the environment was dark except for a few standby lights.

So, this is what her brain used to look like when she was an AI.

"Hurry up, come on..." she whispered, while the system processed the code.

The panel flashed red with an error code.

Cortana's eyes went wide in horror, something cold ran down her spine.

She entered the number again, this time slowly in case she made a mistake before (which she hadn’t, that was for sure). Same answer, error code. Cortana swallowed a scream of rage and hit the panel with her fist, angry. She found herself damning all machines to Hell and beyond, which was funny somehow but not in that stressful situation. She tried the number a third time.

Red flashing panel, again.

"No... nonono!" Cortana clenched her fists, trembling. "Please, don't..."

The door wouldn't open, the past power failure must have fried something inside the panel's wiring, she had no time to fix it. And a server station, if not the most secure room of a vessel like the _Infinity_ , didn't have other entrances besides the main gates or an elevator shaft from the power supply room, which was a deck below. Not an option.

She eyed at the mission clock, alarmed.

**MISSION CLOCK: 0:55:16**

They still had to get out of there and _go back_.

"This damn thing is fried!" Cortana shouted over the comm. "Chief, I need you to get here and blow up this door, now!"

"Got it." he acknowledged.

It was a bad idea, since the explosion would alert the Elites roaming through the corridors and plus, if the doors were broken they wouldn't have many ways to cover themselves from fire, but there was no time. The Chief eyed the dog and with a simple gesture of his hand commanded her to stand back and lay down. Charley had a basic shield system to protect herself.

He only had one plasma grenade left, it should be powerful enough to open a hole through the thick doors. The Chief readied the detonator, then placed the live explosive on the floor right beside the joint of the twin doors and quickly grabbed Cortana to pull her away. They barely had time to run a few dozen feet and crouch down together when the artifact exploded, raining droplets of boiling plasma all over and splattering the walls with fuming holes. The lights blinked and died in that section of the corridor, a thick cloud of smoke surrounded them.

The MJOLNIR's shields flared in amber and dropped to fifteen percent.

"You need to get yourself some shields." John whispered.

"First thing in the morning." she said, hands tightly clutched to his forearms.

Cortana softly bumped her helmet's faceplate against his, as a gesture of gratitude, and stood up. John took a moment to kick the half-melted metal and open the hole a bit more, enough to get inside without touching the white hot edges. Cortana ran in first, heading to the end of a large passage sided by towering servers, the Chief and the dog followed immediately.

There was no sound inside the room, and it was colder than outside.

"Sigrid, report." John asked, while running.

_"I have a squad of six inbound, can't say if Elites or SPARTANS. The radiation is messing up with my readings. I can barely see anything."_

"Good." John stopped and turned to the door. "Cortana, you're on. I'll cover."

"Copy that, Chief."

She sounded calmer now, dedicated to her task.

It was better that way, he needed her focused. John crouched down beside a server tower and checked his rifle's ammo, then aimed at the blazing hole on the blast doors. The unknown squad was tagged ETA four minutes. Charley already knew the drill; when she saw her master hide, she found a spot right beside the doors and laid down on her belly, waiting.

Cortana found the mainframe terminal at the center of the room, where six other passageways converged. There were four dozens of chips set in their respective sockets, most of them dumb AIs, alphabetically sorted. Supposedly, a status light should be blinking beside every socket (green if the chip was active, yellow if it wasn't, red if there was a reading error), thirty seven lights out of forty eight were flaring red. Sigrid's socket was the only one empty. Cortana assumed that the other AIs were attacked by the alien AI, so, what if Roland was destroyed?

She found Roland's chip right away and yanked it out of the socket; the status light wasn't on, so Cortana didn't exactly know what to expect.

Besides, where could she plug him in to check on his status?

She took the only choice she had left.

Cortana looked doubtfully at her armored right arm and with extreme care placed Roland's chip over the matte-black surface of her forearm-plate. The HARPY hissed softly and a small socket opened on the plate, she pressed down the chip and six tiny strap-like protuberances locked it in place. The chip lit up in soft orange, immediately afterwards. A rush of adrenaline ran through her veins.

"Roland? Are you there?" she tried out.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then...

A status light blinked slowly on the upper left corner of her HUD, alongside the mission clock. When it settled for green, she saw the startup code sequence.

 _"This is UNSC Smart AI RLD 0205-4. Loading."_ Roland's voice filled her ears.

Cortana sighed, relieved.

"Chief, I have Roland, he seems to be okay." she said.

"Then we should go. Now." John growled. "We've got company."

She ran back towards the Chief, the elevator shaft was their best exit option. She pulled his arm, showing him the direction. John understood immediately, then he called out for Charley and they moved together towards the other end of the server room, all the way across. The inbound squad was technically around the corner.

John opened the elevator doors violently, only to find that the cage wasn't there, just the darkness of the empty shaft. He made a hand gesture that needed no translation: _we jump_. Cortana nodded.

The Chief threw himself down the hole, without hesitation.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**THIRD LEVEL MAINTENANCE DECKS**

**1:38 AM standard time - mission clock: 0:52:02**

 

"Roland, can you hear me? It's Cortana."

 _"I’m here. I feel... dizzy."_ the AI responded, inside her helmet.

"Not for long. I'm going to download you into my armor; I know the HARPY is alien tech and the risk of a critical incompatibility is high, but I want you to try taking over the system. Carefully."

_"I'm not sure about this."_

"Neither am I, but the Chief's interface is already occupied. I'm the only one who can carry you safely."

_"... okay, let's give it a try."_

They were running as fast as they could through another dark set of passages, a level beneath the server room, looking for the exit. They needed to get back upstairs, time was running out. She didn't have to do anything, the AI slowly poked into the HARPY's buffers and let himself in, overlapping his routines with the current operative system. Roland found resistance, a rudimentary firewall and small pieces of software that tried to attack him, but he disabled them without erasing anything. Cortana felt the armor move against her body, layer over layer of angry tiny beads trying to fight back the invasion, but the AI succeeded.

After all, as Eleven once explained, the HARPY's inner system was primitive.

After a few seconds, she knew he was there. She could feel Roland, somehow.

"How is it going?" Cortana asked, eager.

_"The architecture is unusual but the processing power is amazing! Ten times more buffer capacity than the Infinity's servers. I could get used to this, you know?"_

"You better not." Cortana warned him.

_"Fill me in, why are we running?"_

_"There is an alien AI inside the Infinity's network."_ Sigrid tapped in through the comm, her rough but feminine voice still sounded a little clipped. _"It's a tough beast. It eats your code, assimilates your programming and grows bigger and uglier. I estimate that we are the only ones left and that thing is waiting for us to show up."_

_"Nothing fancy, I see."_

_"It's extremely vicious. It almost got away with a piece of me."_

_"How do we know that it didn't screw up the ship's primary functions already?"_

Sigrid snorted. _"Have you not noticed we are in slip-space?"_

_"Not really, I just woke up."_

_"Well, here's the short version."_ Sigrid transferred to Roland a single file with the current mission log, over four thousand lines of entries collected from the Chief's and the other SPARTANS’ sensors.

He assimilated the information and gasped, in shock.

 _"If this keeps going, we'll lose the engines."_ Roland stated, grimly.

_"Most likely."_

John and Cortana kept running behind the dog, while the AIs kept talking to each other. Cortana knew that Roland was working on something inside the HARPY, since she felt uneasy again and the inner layers of the suit were moving, crawling and tickling her skin with the touch of sand.

"Show me the fastest route to the engine room." the Chief demanded.

 _"No, Master Chief; we better get to the engineering deck."_ Roland requested, then he talked to Cortana: _"Your armor is a great server but still, I need an UNSC computer network to kick that foreign AI's butt."_

"We'll never make it before the Spike starts killing people!" Cortana said.

_"I can lay your asses there in three minutes if you can get me to the tram."_

"Can you take control of the ship?" John asked. Sigrid was quiet.

_"Not right now, but engineering has a direct line with the engine room and other minor systems. I can shut down the engines, but I don't know in which conditions we will exit from slip-space... or where. And I have to focus, so I’ll need some protection while I work.”_

_"Leave it to me. I will enjoy tearing that monster apart."_ Sigrid said, with pride.

_“Master Chief, what do you say?”_

John nodded just once.

"Anything that slows this thing down works for me. Let's move."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Did you see that? The part where John says that he has no regrets? Pay attention, kids, and treasure that moment, because that is as close as we will ever get to read this man saying something like 'I love you'. I'm not at all that confident about the mechanics of the plasma grenade sequence, but it looked cool in my head and it seemed like something the Chief would do... you know, hold grenades back until near detonation, jump down dark elevator shafts, that sort of stuff xD also, I'm making up a lot of things regarding the _Infinity_ since I couldn't find any precise references, so what the heck.

I just love Roland, I actually love every AI ever introduced in this universe. And Sigrid *cof cof*. I'm getting some weird ideas about these two, but it's not what you think, I promise. You'll see :)

**Now, be good and say something, share your opinion about what happened today! And let's meet again next Sunday ^^ *hugs***


	24. Missing Pieces

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

This one comes with extra drama and a big bowl of "I don't know how the f*** this happened but I hope they can make it out alive". Be patient, there's still one more chapter of madness and then we switch back to something different. Enjoy! ^^

**23\. MISSING PIECES**

_proofread and correction by: SL4Y3R -hugs-_

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING DECK**

**1:26 AM standard time - a little earlier**

 

Dr. Catherine Halsey struggled to pass through another jammed door.

She reached one of the computer labs faster than she first expected. She was lucky enough not to get caught, but she was also certain that civilians might have spotted her; if they didn't recognize her, they sure would have acknowledged the lab coat and the missing arm. It was rather hard not to notice.

The lights activated immediately as she entered the aisle. She retrieved a data-pad from the depths of her coat's inner pocket and switched some computers on, dragged a chair to the workstation to sit down and rest her aching muscles. It was a long and unpleasant run, she wasn't as robust as she used to be. The UNSC computer requested for her ID clearance, but she knew the way around the procedure and after a moment the logon screen disappeared, leaving the file system bare before her eyes.

 _'Fine.'_ she thought. _'This is very sensitive intel, it must be encrypted under a high-clearance security code. Most likely Glassman did the encryption himself.'_

A faint smirk took over her lips. The Doctor tapped quickly through the folders and files, sorting out what seemed interesting from what was immediately catalogued as trash by her judgment. The engineering staff of the _Infinity_ sure liked to waste their time in pointless research. It took her a few minutes to find what she was looking for, but just when she was about to open the file...

The sound of metal hitting the floor in the next room startled her.

Dr. Halsey unsheathed her sidearm, immediately, and stood up; she was willing to defend her right to claim the data with plasma if necessary. She saw movement through the double-glass windows, a dark shadow running away... but that wasn't the interesting part: the window was scribbled with purple numbers and signs, some ruined by the hands of the writer messing over the fresh ink.

Still, she'd recognize advanced mathematics anywhere.

"Who's there?" Dr. Halsey demanded, her voice stern.

The Doctor moved, she opened the double doors and aimed her weapon ahead. It was a briefing room, there was a central white table and enough chairs to accommodate twenty people. She spotted the intruder immediately. The stranger dashed through the room again and Dr. Halsey followed her with the barrel of the gun; it was a woman, she had long dark hair and elegant hourglass figure beneath the dirty clothes.

"Stop right there or I will shoot!" she roared, angrily.

The woman crouched down in the corner, covering her head with one arm. Her trembling hands were tinted with purple ink; she was holding a few pens and some other device against her body. She was shaking, sobbing. Scared to death.

Dr. Halsey could understand, it had been a long week aboard the _Infinity_.

However, the elder woman focused again on the writings. The room was covered in them, a vast number of awfully complicated mathematical formulas written in every available surface. The walls, screens, tables, windows and glassboards were scribbled with fluorescent ink, a compound for low light conditions.

She had no time to figure the math, for now.

"What are you doing here, alone?" Halsey asked, softening her voice. The other woman cringed, shrinking over herself, and the Doctor lowered the weapon a bit. "I'm not going to hurt you. Who are you?"

After a short hesitation, the frightened woman lowered her arms and bright blue eyes looked at the scientist through long and curly strands of black hair. She stood on her feet, slowly, clutching the pens and the silvery piece of tech against her chest; she looked dirty and hungry. She was barefoot too.

The Doctor narrowed her eyes...

"Oh, my. Cortana. How...?" Halsey whispered, surprised, when she recognized the soft features of the young face. It was like watching an old photograph of herself. Quick of thought as always, the Doctor understood what she was seeing and shook her head, carefully. "No, you're not Cortana. You are one of her splinters."

The other one didn't say anything, instead she looked absentmindedly at her hands painted in purple and her clothes, also stained with the glowing ink. She grabbed a pen and moved to the nearest wall; when she located a tiny empty spot, she scribbled some numbers and crouched down on the floor to write some more.

Dr. Halsey noticed this woman was left-handed. Interesting.

The scientist knew she shouldn't be dawdling like that, but...

This specimen was evidently far more docile than the Spike, and judging by the Spike's own declarations, she was also probably one of the few remaining pieces of the original Cortana left alive. The Doctor approached her. The woman stopped writing, looked at Halsey with wary eyes and after a short hesitation, resumed her work. She was scribbling so quickly that she ran out of space very soon, and moved somewhere else to continue.

Halsey followed her, very interested.

"Quantum physics?" she mumbled. There was a deep understanding of numbers in those countless lines; some of them related to slip-space vector calculations, a variation she'd never seen before. "You are smart, that's for sure. What are you working on?"

The other Cortana didn't reply. She switched pens and kept writing, now crawling on her hands and knees.

"Hm. I suppose you don't speak much."

What a marvelous, unique opportunity. This poor creature was harmless, she understood that much about her. How many chances would she ever have to study the product of a Forerunner full _recomposition_? What was encoded in the DNA of a former AI construct? So much to consider. Dr. Halsey made a choice when she decided to escape the Rampant Spike's security and do her own bidding. She knew that once she could retrieve the data she wanted, abandoning the ship would be mandatory. She'll have to hide from the UNSC _and_ the Rampant Spike.

But if she could get to the _Fortress_ before anyone else...

It was also a terrible temptation. And nobody could stop her.

When the other Cortana crawled away from Halsey, still scribbling her numbers without paying attention to her, something fell from her clothes on the floor. It was the device she'd been holding all along. The Doctor moved quickly and snatched it away. The woman screamed and got up, trying to steal the device back.

"Easy, easy!" Halsey snapped, raising her voice and hiding the object behind her body, leaning against the wall. "I just want to take a look!"

The other woman clutched her pens and paced back and forth, nervous, shooting desperate glances towards the scientist. The Doctor carefully retrieved the device and took a good look at it. She wasn't surprised at first, because she had one exactly like that on the other pocket of her lab coat and she was planning to use it for escaping. It was a mobile port generator like the ones the Rampant Cortana used, it worked basically like a Forerunner translocator to open portals between two ships, even if both vessels were in slip-space travel.

But, how come _this Cortana_ had one of those?

What was it doing aboard the _Infinity_? How did it get to engineering? Suddenly reality hit Dr. Halsey in the face: that device was designed to transcend the barriers of deep space, it was a transmitter and also a receiver; it didn't only open safe portals for living beings to move through the slip-space streams, in stand-by mode it was a black hole for digital signals and electricity.

 _That's how the Spike had been spying on the UNSC all the time_.

Now, how did the Spike get that thing inside the ship, without anyone noticing?

The Doctor grabbed the device and hid it in her pocket, it barely fit.

"I'll take this with me." she explained, the other Cortana paced again, making soft sobbing noises. "This is dangerous, I have to take it away from the ship." she explained, and the Doctor wasn't really sure of why was she wasting time in being comprehensive with this poor creature. "The Rampant Spike will use this to hurt John if I leave it here, you know that. Is that why you were keeping it with you, to hide it?"

The younger woman suddenly stopped her pacing, and opened her mouth.

The name was like a magic word.

"... John?" she mumbled, not without difficulty.

Her voice was ragged but still very feminine, very much like Dr. Halsey's.

"Yes, John. You want him to be safe, right? Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"John." the other one replied, softly. Her eyes filled with tears.

Some drops ran down her cheeks, she tried to clean them up with her hands and tainted her face with traces of lavender ink. Dr. Halsey felt her heart shrink a little, the creature was about as fragile as a child. She saw her drop to her knees and grab a pen to keep writing her numbers, while tears kept falling. Her whole body shuddered.

The scientist kneeled before her and stopped the scribbling.

" _Listen_ to me. _Look_ at me."

The other Cortana tilted up her face, slowly. Her deep blue eyes looked innocent, in close quarters the older woman noticed a scar that crossed the younger's forehead, diving beyond the hairline into her scalp; a faint trace of some ugly head trauma. Maybe that was why she didn't speak much, but it sure didn't compromise her brainpower.

Such an opportunity, indeed.

Dr. Halsey dared to say the biggest lie she ever vocalized:

"I can keep you safe. Come with me, we will help John."

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**NAVIGATION AISLE - BRIDGE**

**standard time not recorded**

 

 _'That treacherous bitch.'_ the Spike thought, furious.

Dr. Halsey escaped from her sight. The old woman escaped! Taking advantage of Jul 'Mdama's absence, the Rampant Cortana killed both of the Elites that were supposed to keep an eye on the scientist. She enjoyed very much taking their brainless heads. The Spike took pride in her prowess, every life taken was a step in the ladder of success and it didn't matter if they were humans or aliens; dead bodies looked all the same to her at the end of the day.

But nobody insulted her intelligence like this and got away with it.

She was boiling deep down in rage. Her brand new and upgraded HARPY armor twitched and hissed, moving violently over her body like a dark polished hurricane. It shifted and shifted under crackles of blue electricity, fully synchronized with the Spike's turbulent emotions.

She'd neutralized New Carthage's MJOLNIR GEN2 main factories and the local UNSC base by glassing both locations to the ground, she'd hacked into an entire orbital MAC gun system to tear apart a planet, she'd killed millions upon millions of human civilians from several colonies and wiped out a nice number of Sangheili in their own home world. She set everything up to break the Universe in half. She let her favorite toy (John) go a few times, that's true, but she also kidnapped the biggest ship the UNSC had ever built, and now she couldn't handle a single old lady with only one arm?

A dangerous and incredibly smart old lady, yes; but still, a simple human.

Now she had to find Halsey and take her head too.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING STORAGE BAY**

**2:05 AM standard time - mission clock: 0:25:13**

 

Roland promised and delivered: once they reached the tram, he took them from stern to bow in the blink of an eye. The AI could only enter the system for few seconds, he used those attempts to draw the alien AI's attention somewhere else and succeeded. Now the monster on the network was looking for them, and Roland was almost ready to take the engines down and then join Sigrid for the fight.

Two Elites stormed in from the far side of the hallway and started firing at them. Cortana shot first, John engaged right after her; it took them seven combined rounds of plasma to drain the Sangheili's shields and drop a pair of dead bodies. Sigrid showed them flickering readings, there were more enemies on the way.

"Elevator." John hurried Cortana, pointing at the other end of the corridor.

The lights twinkled and died for a few seconds, then turned back on.

Screeches of stressed metal ran quickly across the entire deck, the infrastructure of the ship was fighting both against the external heat and internal pressure. The floor trembled violently beneath their boots.

"I don't like the sound of that." the Chief mumbled, under his breath.

 _"You're about to like it even less."_ Roland replied, gloomily. _"The temperature inside the hull is rising. I can't get any readings, but I bet there are coolant leaks in the lower maintenance decks and the engine room is not a place you want to be right now. Pressure locks, pumps and pipes are most likely blowing up as we speak, the core will reach critical mass in no time. We need to hurry."_

Charley whined, sensing the dark mood.

John recalled, once more, that the Elites were taking their hostages to the back, near the engines. Were the aliens aware of what was going on? He checked on his ammo and frowned when he saw a white light blinking right in front of his eyes. Across the HUD a short message appeared, just for him to read:

I HAVE SOMETHING YOU SHOULD SEE.

Next, Sigrid showed him a short video loop in which he could see a human figure missing the left arm moving across a very familiar environment, full of computers and scientific equipment. The woman was small, gray haired and she wore a white and blue lab coat with dirt and blood stains. She wasn't alone; there was another human female with her, long haired and apparently clumsy. The loop only lasted six seconds.

THIS IS FROM THE ENGINEERING LABS, ROLAND PEEKED INSIDE. DO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE WHO THAT IS?

He'd recognize that small frame and iron-willed attitude anywhere. Dr. Catherine Halsey. She was aboard the _Infinity_ , which by now half-confirmed some of his doubts about her.

SHE'S A WANTED CRIMINAL, MASTER CHIEF.  

He frowned even more when he read that line.

BY REGULATION, YOU MUST ARREST HER. I SUGGEST YOU DIVERT YOUR COURSE AND ENGAGE.

John hesitated. His eyes darted towards Cortana, she was still searching the dead Sangheili to take all of their useful supplies. He saw her grab a hand-shield and try it out, the piece still worked just fine.

Leave Cortana to capture Dr. Halsey?

WE ARE A THOUSAND FEET AWAY FROM THE LABS. SHE'LL BE FINE.

Even someone like Sigrid could read him out like an open book, and they haven't even been working together for that long.

"Chief!"

Cortana's voice filtered through the speakers, he realized that Sigrid had blocked out the comms to silently talk with him. Also, Charley was sniffing at his boots, the dog suspected something was wrong.

"Chief, are you all right?"

"Just sorting things out."

He had to trust Cortana and her skills. It wouldn't be the first time they had to work separated and it didn't matter how much he _did regret_ leaving her behind at High Charity. However, this time they wouldn't be half the Universe away from each other, they would be on the same ship. This was different.

Yes, _different_. Because she wasn't digital anymore, she could bleed.

John closed his eyes, vanishing those thoughts. Cortana had under her control one of the most advanced pieces of technology ever created, an armor that could bent itself under her will. She was smart, capable, skilled. She knew how to fight, he'd trained her himself. She could do it. They were both going to similar places, anyway, only that they would be picking different routes.

He made the choice, as much as he didn't like the idea:

"Cortana, you move ahead."

"What?"

"Take Roland to engineering, I'll be right behind you. Run and don't look back."

"Chief, come on..."

He looked at her, strong and stern. "You should be running, not arguing with me."

Another long and scary screech of metal filled the air, it sounded like the ship was a suffering, living entity. She knew what he meant, and it wasn't exactly what he said. Cortana nodded slowly, fighting against her will to tell John that he shouldn't lie to her, and took an energy sword from one of the dead Elites.

"Right behind me, okay?" she said instead, dryly.

"Go."

She stuck both the alien sword and hand-shield to the small of her back and turned around to leave, running. The HARPY rearranged the lower midsection and legs of the armor to thrust Cortana's running speed. She could feel it, the strength and the rush of adrenaline fueling her anxiety, making her muscles ache, pumping blood faster through her veins. She focused in using all of her might to run faster, dashing across the hallway like a black and blue lightning.

Cortana did as the Chief requested. She didn't look back.

And it hurt so much.

"Roland, TEAMCOM." she barked.

_"Green to go."_

"To all fire-teams in the near vicinity, this is Cortana." her voice flew over the general SPARTAN line. "I have Roland with me, I'm heading to engineering. Keep the Elites away from this route, please!"

Roland traced a map on her HUD displaying the fastest way to her destination and transmitted it to all the other contacts on the line. A lot of friend-or-foe tags appeared before her eyes, she only had to move through. She'd be moving way faster if only she was more physically fit for racing; mere seconds later she found her speed awkwardly increasing when the HARPY made her wish come true: she could feel weight bulking up in certain areas and layers of 'fabric' moving against her skin, reinforcing her ankles and calves, thickening the boots with new, special plates. The hydraulics worked like magic. She had to slow down to steady herself, avoiding a direct face-to-wall contact by throwing her arms forward.

"Woah! I wasn't expecting this!" she cried, breathing heavy. "You know, Roland? I have to give the Forerunners some credit, this is some sweet tech."

_"Forerunner, you say?_

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

_"Well, it doesn't look Forerunner from the inside, that's for sure."_

What else could the HARPY be, if not Forerunner?

Well, it wasn't ridiculous, just very unlikely.

"There's a lot of alien tech yet to be catalogued, let's not jump to conclusions right now, shall we?" Cortana replied, carefully.

_"Fair enough. Get to the elevator."_

She had only seventeen minutes left.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING DECK - BETA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**2:15 AM standard time - mission clock: 0:14:54**

 

The elevator doors opened and she ducked down in time to avoid a rain of bullets and plasma bolts. Cortana pressed herself against the cage's wall and deployed the hand-shield and the plasma rifle, her heart hammering inside her chest. When the shooting stopped, there was a long, tense silence and then someone shouted out:

"I can see you, Rampant Freak! Come out and let me put some holes in you!"

"SPARTAN Madsen?" she said, when she recognized him. "Don't shoot me! It's Cortana! Please, I'm in a hurry!"

Roland was already broadcasting Cortana's ID tag in all frequencies, as dangerous as such action was. The AI decided it was worth to sacrifice secrecy, his maps said that they were extremely close to their destination.

"Hold your fire!" that was DeMarco.

"The tag is legit!" grunted Thorne, over the comm.

"Ma'am, what are you doing here?" asked Hoya, as he entered the elevator's cage to look for her. The team's leader towered over Cortana too, still ready to fire.

"You didn't get the memo, I see." she sighed. "I have Roland with me and I need to get to the computer labs."

Cortana deactivated the energy shield and came out to the hallway, racing.

"There's a lab back there, we just cleared it out." DeMarco answered, pointing out somewhere ahead of them. "Come with us, we'll escort you."

"We already killed all the aliens here, anyway." Madsen shrugged.

She ran faster than the four SPARTANS, leading the charge. The heat sensors in her HUD were showing some abnormal readings and again, another long and creepy screeching sound thundered around them, roaring from the shuddering walls.

"That keeps happening, what is it?" Thorne asked, out loud.

"Too long to explain right now." Cortana cut him off.

"Where's the Master Chief?" Hoya inquired, he struggled to stay beside her.

 _'He was supposed to be right behind me.'_ she thought.

"He's busy." Cortana answered, her throat felt dry.

"Any word about the Admiral or Commander Palmer? The Captain?"

"Last time I checked, the Commander found the Captain and he was alive, that's all I know. Aren't you hooked with Sigrid's TEAMCOM link?"

"Ma'am, we haven't heard a word from TEAMCOM since half an hour ago."

That was when the _Infinity_ entered slip-space and the weird radiation readings started to happen. It made sense, but still, did all of the other SPARTANS actually get disconnected, like this?

As they turned around the corner, Cortana's heart nearly stopped beating.

A dark, elegant figure dressed in a strange suit of armor emerged from the end of the corridor, it was climbing up the staircase. Merely twenty feet separated that creature from them, and maybe six feet separated Cortana from the lab's doors. She stopped dead, two of the SPARTANS behind her dropped to one knee, a third one grabbed her to pull her down and the fourth, Madsen, readied his high-caliber plasma rifle and took three sudden shots.

The plasma rounds hit blue flaring shields and dissolved in a cloud of toxic steam.

When the steam dissipated, the entity was still standing there. Unharmed.

"What the fuck?" Madsen whispered, stunned. "That was the plasma equivalent of a fifty-caliber round, how come...?"

"Cortana, run!" Thorne roared, as the four of them opened fire against the Spike.

She bolted across the floor and jumped inside the labs, hitting the door's panel with her fist while the SPARTANS kept firing, and locked herself inside the facility. Next, Cortana ran towards the computers without looking back, she felt a heavy weight inside her chest. She was afraid that if she dared to turn her head, she wouldn't be able to accomplish what she came all this way to do.

Cortana yanked the chip off her forearm and plugged it into the terminal’s port.

In the hallway, however, when the second cloud of vapor cleared, the Spike tilted her head and just laughed. There wasn't a single nick on her polished-black armor, the cyan hue of her shields shimmered up and down her terrifying figure.

"Now, that was _very rude_ of you, boys." she purred.

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING DECK - DELTA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**2:17 AM standard time - mission clock: 0:12:27**

 

When John sneaked in, he didn't know what he was expecting to find.

He grabbed Charley's collar, stopping her, and quickly assessed the environment. There were two other possible exits and one of them led to a room with walls covered in purple numbers and symbols, but he didn't pay much attention to that. His eyes focused on the two women, who stood still when they noticed the SPARTAN and the massive beast. Halsey's eyebrows rose quickly. She recognized him right on the spot, without even looking at the Braille number engraved on his breastplate.

"John." the older woman said, calm. "I thought we wouldn't see each other again."

She tried to grab something from the nearest desk, probably the data pad.

John raised the plasma rifle. "Don't. Step away from the console, ma'am."

Dr. Halsey raised her only hand and took a step back, startled. The Chief released the dog, Charley lowered her head showing off her fangs, but didn't move; he grabbed the weapon with both hands, blocking the door.

"They make mutts with my research now." Halsey noticed, somewhat displeased. "One would think the UNSC had enough dogs with those they call 'fourth generation SPARTANS'. Go figure."

The younger woman took a few steps towards the Chief, recklessly.

"John!" she called him, with a sad smile on her lips.

He responded by mere instinct and aimed at her, on the double.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Dr. Halsey reacted immediately and grabbed the younger woman by the wrist, dragging her back with her. "She's one of Cortana's splinters, John. This one is harmless, trust me."

"I know who she is." he growled.

And he was also surprised to see Subject Two alive, given what Dr. Quinn told them before. He wasn't going to hurt her unless she proved to be as dangerous as her sister (Seven) was. She wore the same happy look on her face that Subject Twelve had when he spent time with her in the med-bay; a look that eased up his demons a bit. He felt like he could trust those eyes.

Dr. Halsey reached the pad again and handed it to the Chief, but he didn't grab it.

"She is remarkably smart. Look at this, John. She's doing quantum calculations all by herself, just because. However, this amount of intelligence seems to have taken its toll on other brain functions, I suppose; she doesn't seem to be self-aware."

Quantum calculations? He recalled Cortana saying something about that, weeks ago. It didn't matter now. That wasn't the point.

"Dr. Halsey, are _you_ aware that it's my duty to arrest you?" he demanded.

"... I do." the Doctor responded, retreating her hand. She looked offended.

"Why are you helping her?"

John didn't have to be specific about who was he talking about, the scientist was smart enough to understand the issue. Halsey grimaced, troubled. It was a big problem that concerned them both.

"I'm not exactly _helping_ her." she answered.

“But you’re not doing anything to stop her either.”

“It's complicated."

The Doctor turned around and sat on the chair, to keep working on the computer.

"With all due respect; given the fact that the Rampant Spike has been trying to kill me for the past three months, I'd say I deserve an explanation."

"Means to an end, John. This is only means to an end."

"Dr. Halsey, I'm not bluffing. Step away from the console."

He moved forward and steadied the weapon, brushing the barrel against the old woman's hair. Her fingers froze over the keyboard but she didn't turn around, you could see how she straightened her shoulders with hurt dignity. Subject Two retreated, a little scared, and Charley growled under her breath, wrinkling her muzzle.

"You won't shoot me." Halsey said, awfully confident.

"You don't know everything, ma'am."

"I know _you_ , John. I know what you are capable of and what you..."

He moved the barrel aside less than an inch and squeezed the trigger, a silver bolt of plasma barely avoided Dr. Halsey's head within a few millimeters margin and hit a small gap between two flat screens. Just a warning shot, that's true, but the sound hurt her ears and she felt the heat against her scalp, the woman flinched. The air filled with scent of burnt hair. Subject Two screamed and dropped down to the floor, covering her ears with her dirty hands.

John leveled the weapon against the Doctor's hair again.

"Fine, I can be wrong sometimes." she said, her voice now grim and resentful.

"This is nothing personal."

"... oh, but it is, John. Of course it is."

"Ma'am, I won't say it again. _Please_ , step away from the console."

She gave him a sad smile, honoring his gentle request.

"I guess we taught you well."

The Doctor stood up with her right hand in the air, carefully. She knew she was in good hands but she also knew that her plan was doomed to fail. The good thing was that someone like Catherine Halsey didn't just jump head first into danger without a plan, a backup plan and a backup for the backup plan.

So, she tried her best to work her way out. The clock was ticking.

"Listen to me, John. The Spike is collapsing, but she won't end up being unable to function, no; she will become only _more and more dangerous_." the scientist explained, calmly. "She glassed the Hannibal facilities and the UNSC base at New Carthage. Jul 'Mdama isn't happy about it, but he and his Elites fear her, they feel something isn't right and honestly, I think the same. There's more to it than just the physical recomposition of the body, there's also a certain degree of progressive degradation..."

A sudden flashing message through his HUD and Charley's high-pitched whining drew John's attention. His pulse raced.

CONTACT INBOUND - SIX O'CLOCK

ETA 7 SECONDS

He turned around immediately, switching the pistol for the much larger plasma rifle, and shielded the women with his body.

There was nothing there, only the open door

Still, Charley was looking at the hallway, crawling back with her belly stuck to the floor, tail between her rear legs. She was scared to death, the Chief never saw her in such state before. Subject Two was nowhere to be seen until he spotted her trembling feet under a desk.

A few seconds later, he heard noises outside the room.

The tall, dark figure of the Rampant Spike walked on the scene, calmly.

"Oh, look at this. _My mother_ and _my sister_ ranting about me with _my man_? I can't believe the nerve, people." she hissed, beneath the cyan faceplate of her helmet. "You know, I've killed for far less than that."

Her armor was tainted with dark splatters, plates visibly vibrating, and her shields were crackling in blue as if they were malfunctioning. Although she didn't seem hurt, there was a thick stream of red behind her, on the gratings.

Because she was dragging around Paul DeMarco's dead body.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Boom! DeMarco is gone.

I still wonder if it's time to move the story into M rating because we’re hitting new levels of gruesome shit and what’s left to come isn’t pretty either. Sometimes I think I’m overdoing a little. And I’m not saying that readers under 16 can’t read this fanfic, just that _you shouldn’t_ (you know, because violence and sex -roll eyes-). Some chapters might contain trigger alerts from now on, especially near the end. However, if you read Halo: Evolutions, I guess you'll be fine; I’m nowhere near the levels of disturbing shit I’ve read in some of those short stories.

So, our Chief got reunited with Dr. Halsey (something I’m looking forward to see in Halo 5, I really-really-really want it to happen) and Cortana got Roland to the labs, but the Infinity is _this close_ from falling apart. What will our heroes do?

**Be here next Sunday and you’ll find out** **J** **we'll have a LONG ASS chapter incoming, I promise. Be gentle with this humble fellow fan and say something! Good luck!**


	25. War Gods

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Okay, this chapter is a little messy and a little bloody, so please, be careful. Also, it will be presented differently from previous episodes, I think that what I did here helps to keep a fast pacing between the switching scenes since most of it happens around the same time :) sorry if you get confused or something. This is also the longest chapter until date. Enjoy!

**24\. WAR GODS**

_proofread and corrections: special thanks to SL4Y3R for being so supportive!_

 

**SEPTEMBER 8TH 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING DECK - DELTA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**2:27 PM standard time - mission clock: 0:02:13**

 

"I had to come all this way to find you, John, because you keep ignoring me." the Spike said, angrily, then she pointed at Dr. Halsey with her index finger. "You stay right there,  I'll deal with this beefcake first and then, we will finish our little business."

"Charley." John called, out loud; the dog barked in response. " _Beschützen._ "

The dog was trained to recognize her duty: she was ordered to keep the civilians alive, so she showed her fangs and stood before Dr. Halsey, guarding the woman with her thick, armored body. She still had her tail between her legs, but the instinct to obey and _protect_ kicked in.

The Rampant Cortana tilted her head, annoyed; the armor over her body shifted and hissed according to her emotions, the gleaming cyan lines across the joints flared brighter for a second or two.

"You think your _furry replacement of me_ is scary? You're so naive."

John didn't even bother to answer; he just opened fire.

The first plasma bolts hit the Rampant Cortana's shields and exploded in a cloud of steam, becoming a dense miasma inside the room. She didn't even tried to duck or cover. Once the last shots impacted on her, visibility was barely at ten percent. Sigrid read venomous levels of carbon dioxide in that mist. Behind the Chief, Dr. Halsey and Subject Two coughed, covering their mouths and noses with the sleeves of their clothes; the cloud was toxic.

The scientist crawled out of the hideout to find an emergency medical cabinet, in dire need of oxygen masks and a better place to find some cover.

John took advantage of the dense fog and rammed forward, using the butt of the rifle to strike a single blow to the Spike's armored head, intended to crack her neck or at least, destabilize her. She took the hit, yes, but her head snapped backwards and bluish shields flared across her body. She didn't fall, only took a step aback.

He attacked again, brutally knocking their faceplates together.

She gasped and fell to her knees.

When John was about to lay a third, devastating blow hammering his fist down on her, the Spike raised her arms and threw herself against him, lightning quick, grabbing him by the waist in an iron grip. Their shields crackled together, draining each other: he saw the status bar drop dramatically fast. John stomped a foot on the gratings and worked his way against her strength, but noticed that the HARPY armor was shifting, rearranging itself... and the Spike was becoming a lot _stronger_. She pushed him back, no matter how hard he slammed the rifle's butt on her armored spine or how much he resisted.

His magnetic boots suddenly _were slipping_ , screeching against the gratings.

Then, she activated the thrusters. They flew backwards together, violently, busting computers, cabinets, desks and thin fake walls along the way, until a thick metallic blast wall stopped John’s back. The wall dented inwards, perfectly nesting the SPARTAN's herculean figure. He hit the back of his head so hard that something cold pierced through his brain, a bolt of pain that seized his arms and legs in throbbing paralysis for a few milliseconds. The MJOLNIR's lockdown protocol failed, so he recovered his senses and movement instantly.

The Spike landed on her feet, she had let him go a second before impact. John's HUD flickered like crazy, something was deeply damaged. No shields, sensors busted and the comms antenna offline, probably broken. He had lost the rifle somewhere along the flight, too.

Sigrid projected a message, repeating the same erratic line over and over:

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

He knew what she meant, he was supposed to plug her in a safe terminal and she would help Roland to take down the alien AI and recover the _Infinity_. His mind raced, trying to find a way to accomplish that without getting killed or disabled.

The Rampant Cortana tilted her head to the side, curious.

"I thought you would last a little longer, but seems that my upgrades were just too much for you." she sighed, posing her hands on her hips. "Such a shame, John. I guess _you are_ too old to play with me."

He didn't say anything. The Chief elbowed the wall trying to detach himself from the cavity, but she was faster and before he could lay his feet on the floor, the Rampant Cortana threw her hands up to his neck, strangling him with immeasurable strength. He actually started choking.

"What will you do with me, John?" she said, hissing between her clenched teeth. " _Have you not killed me enough times already_?!"

His honed instincts responded lightning-fast: a single powerful kick on the gut and she flew backwards, crashing against two awkwardly bent aluminum desks.

John fell from the wall, dropping a knee to the floor. He yanked off Sigrid's chip from the back of his helmet and safeguarded it inside his fist, carefully. Every computer on that sector was busted or in pieces. There were other ports in the hallway that could be useful, he just had to pass through the Rampant Spike and get there, quickly. Once the AI was inside the system, it would be all set.

The Chief scanned the floor, looking for anything he could use as a weapon.

"I'm getting tired of this. It's not funny anymore." she groaned, upset.

The Spike jumped to stand up and grabbed a twisted chair, wielding it like a club. She attempted to hit, he ducked the blow rolling away, then stood up and rammed again, crashing into her shoulder first. The Chief was fast enough to get away from her grasp and throw a punch to her head, then John proceeded to take hold of her and knock the wall with the woman's upper midsection until a deep dent and his own heavy breathing was all that there was to think about. He was used to keep his head cool under pressure, that was his way of life, but this whole situation was unraveling thirsty demons inside of him. It was all or nothing.

No man, no machine. Only rage.

 _Animal instinct, vengeance_.

He never felt so alive, so aware of his own strength, so...

Somehow she managed to twist her body under his grasp and turn around, shoving a dangerously sharp black spike towards his head. John ducked again, blocking it with his forearm and bending her arm down, but kept his hold on her, and threw the woman to the other side of the room again. He ran behind her and released a brutal kick on her gut, lifting her from the floor to the ceiling. Then he spun on his heels and back-kicked her again in mid-air, stamping the limp body against another wall. She was as light as a feather and as hard as diamond, but crazy beyond measure.

He didn't feel any kind of restrain or remorse.

His mind was clear now. Oh, so clear.

John's pulse was racing fast, he could sense the blood throbbing in his temples, he never felt so comfortable with the familiar weight of the MJOLNIR before. He was on fire, she would _burn_ until there was nothing left.

The Rampant Cortana used her armor's thrusters to detach herself from the wall and landed dropping one knee, a long and thin spike sprouting out from her right hand. She stood up slowly, enjoying the moment. Her shields had failed and crashed, just like his. It was metal against metal now.

"We're not talking much today, are we?"

"I'm done talking to you." John growled, and walked towards her.

"Oh, what is this, now? Will I be congratulated with a slice of the Master Chief's renowned cold rage?" she laughed and spread her arms wide, presenting her armored chest while she walked backwards into the adjacent, destroyed room, where it all started only minutes before. "Fine, we can all go down together. Bring it on, _bitch_."

John railed against her, expecting to set up his plan in the next forty seconds.

 

**ENGINEERING DECK - BETA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

It was a mess. A nasty mess. She felt the tears running down her cheeks.

She should have done something, anything!

_"Cortana! Cortana, answer me!"_

"I'm busy, Roland!" she snapped, her voice ragged. The heat was rising inside the ship, her HUD read air quality down to sixty-percent, toxic gasses were flowing through the ventilation. "C'mon, Gabriel! Hang in there!"

She tucked the last remaining biofoam canister through the breach on SPARTAN Thorne's exo-suit and filled the wound.

"Talk to me!" she demanded. "Don't fall asleep!"

"It hurts!" he groaned.

"That's a good thing. Stay with me, I'm almost done."

He was bleeding out in Cortana's arms, the only member of fire-team Majestic still conscious and struggling to survive. Hoya and Madsen were unconscious but stabilized, their armors were battered and they were heavily wounded too, but Thorne endured the biggest fight along with the team leader, DeMarco.

Except that DeMarco didn't make it.

She saw everything through the lab's shielded windows, and there was nothing she could do to stop it because Thorne himself had busted the outside door panel and had her trapped inside the lab. She had to watch Seven go through all of them and take them down one by one. Plasma rounds didn't seem to have any effect on her armor or shields, Seven attacked right away using the toxic mist as a diversion. Her smaller frame and the absolute stealth of her moves helped, the thin corridor was a death trap in every sense of the word. The entire team engaged in a brutal but extremely short fight that ended when nobody could get up again. She punched Hoya unconscious, dragged Madsen around by the neck until he fainted, stabbed Thorne on the side after a short battle and then turned to DeMarco. He fought bravely using his knife and his speed. But she Spike was faster than him and ambushed the SPARTAN from below, shoving two sharp spikes through his stomach and up, perforating all the organs on the way straight to the heart.

She lift him up a few feet from the floor, effortlessly...

And then, just like that, _the fight stopped_.

Seven stood very still holding the dying SPARTAN in the air while he bled on her breastplate, but her attention wasn't exactly there.

Then, the Spike dropped the heavy body to the floor and grabbed it by the boot. She hauled DeMarco across the gratings like the man was just a rag doll, leaving a red trail behind.

She didn't even pay attention to Cortana. Cortana had to bust the door with the plasma sword to get out, as fast as she could.

_"We have a problem! Sigrid is nowhere around and I'm running out of time! The ship is in pretty bad shape, I have to enter the system now!"_

Cortana's heart skipped a beat. So that's why the Spike left without turning back to even look at her. She went after John. Sigrid's delay clearly meant that the crazy bitch had found him.

"Chief!" she shouted through TEAMCOM. "Chief, do you hear me?"

Nothing came back. She took off the canister from Thorne's wound and grabbed his heavy hand, pressing the gauntleted palm against the suit's breach. Then, she moved him to rest his back against the wall and didn't realize that she had just pulled half a ton of man and armor as easy as the Spike did.

"Chief, come in! Please, answer me!" she kept calling.

 _Nothing_.

Nothing, not even static. Nothing.

"Roland, I think he's in danger." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Maybe there was still a chance to level the stakes, even if it was a very small one. Cortana grabbed the plasma sword and fired it up along with the hand-shield, each in one hand. She closed her eyes. Her mind focused on both devices, on her own armored gloves. The HARPY hissed, small beads of dark alloy started crawling against the skin of her arms, the gauntlets themselves were shifting again.

She needed shields. She needed a much more powerful weapon.

And the HARPY was hungry, she could feel something building inside.

_"Cortana, I have to go in. I'm afraid I can't wait any longer."_

"Do it, hang on as much as you can. I'll get you Sigrid's backup."

 

**ENGINEERING DECK - DELTA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

The muscles on his lower back ached, but he kept going because he had to _win_.

He spotted Dr. Halsey, the woman was with Subject Two and both of them hidden under the only table still standing with oxygen masks over their faces. The scientist was working on the data pad, extremely focused. What the hell was she doing? Why Halsey didn’t take Two and run away? John pushed the noisy thoughts aside, he had more important things to pay attention to.

Like the third time the Spike tried to make him lose his step and fall.

He was certain that if she pinned him down, that monster would kill him.

She kept blocking the door, maybe she already knew what he was trying to do. John was careful not to bust Sigrid's chip, which meant that he had to fight with only one hand. John avoided her side-kick and grabbed her ankle, then immediately smashed the Rampant Cortana against another wall and retreated before she could use one of those dangerous sword-like spikes on him. The HARPY suffered some damage and it made him think that maybe the armor's system was starting to fail, but it regenerated itself quickly vanishing all of his hopes.

The Spike's devious laughter filled the contaminated air.

"Don't you just get tired of trying, John?" she snorted, confidently.

John grinned inside the helmet. He had her exactly where he wanted, back at the main computer station. He made a quick hand sign.

The Spike probably saw it coming but couldn't stop it anyway: Charley rammed against her from the left side and clashed against her body, clasping her huge mandibles around the woman's neck. The Rampant Cortana made it to circle the dog's neck with her arms, they fell down together; Charley's weight crushed her on the gratings (almost nine hundred pounds of animal plus armored harness). The battle dog furiously chewed on the hardened material protecting her neck until it cracked under the pressure of the huge fangs, growling aggressively.

Charley shook her head with violence, the ultimate annihilation maneuver.

John expected to hear bones snapping. It didn't happen.

He had to move. Now. _Now!_

The Rampant Spike roared in anger. Dozens of razor-sharp jags sprouted across the surface of her armor, at least five spikes stabbed Charley on the neck and the nuzzle, forcing the animal to cry out in pain and release her. The dog fought to free herself from the painful embrace, crying in high-pitched whines.

The woman lifted up Charley's body and violently pushed the wounded animal away, discarding it like a bloodied rag. It didn't stand up again.

"Oh, John. What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, angrily.

The Chief was nowhere to be seen, but the Spike found him in the blink of an eye, a silhouette flaring on her HUD outside the labs.

He was up to something, she had to stop him. Human whimpering noises called out her attention and she staggered, the infernal dog's fangs managed to pierce through the armor somehow. She felt a bit dizzy, rattled. She could feel blood dripping between her skin and the inner layers of the HARPY. Her neck hurt. How was it possible? That damn mutt. It would bleed out on the floor like the filthy monster it was; nothing but a sad, imperfect replacement of her...

The Spike turned around to find Dr. Catherine Halsey and Subject Two aiming at her, together, with John's lost plasma rifle.

 

**UNSC _INFINITY_ 'S MAIN NETWORK**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

Roland tapped into the _Infinity_ 's system and copied himself quickly, filling cluster after cluster with the indispensable sub-routines, waking up as many sub-systems as he could grasp. He entered a digital field of red flaring messages. He missed the HARPY's buffers right away, with the main server station off limits and the majority of the space occupied by corrupted lines of code, he had not much space to move and his memory was limited. It was a huge setback, Roland wasn't expecting to find the network in such hideous condition.

Which meant that the ship was doing even worse than he had first calculated.

There were fragments of dumb AIs everywhere, floating in the cyberspace like stranded boats. Roland performed a quick, careful search and couldn't find any kind of threatening activity near him. Good. His modified ID tag was working just fine for now, but that didn't mean it would last forever.

The AI pushed away the broken strands of code and the red alerts to clear memory space, and tapped here and there linking himself with every available camera feed he could access. Soon, he was watching the bridge, the med-bay, the mess hall and part of the main hangar; but when he tried to access the lower maintenance decks, he couldn't find any feeds. Roland assumed that the cameras were fried. He took a look at the read-only data from the life support firmware, most of the scanners and graphics were flaring red in alert, failing already or very close to.

He found the Captain, the Commander and several other officers and sent them quick messages, but they didn't seem to receive anything. Roland also found a lot of warzones, SPARTANS and Marines still fighting against the Elites. One particular Elite armored with a bright helmet captured his attention: Jul 'Mdama. The so-called Didact's Hand was moving alone through the corridors of the engineering deck.

Where was he going?

No time to figure it out, the AI prepared every major sub-routine for the attack.

 _'Let's see if I can grab the nav systems.'_ he thought.

Roland diverted a big portion of his processing power towards the bridge and split the rest between keeping himself hidden and accessing the engine room controls. With his clearance codes, the AI accessed quickly through the firewalls and kept moving. He came close to the navs but retreated instantly when his code overlapped with something strange, somewhat _sticky_. A guard dog? No, it was bigger, more monstrous.

He realized too late that he made a foolish mistake: the clearance codes gave him away and startled the alien AI.

Then, he felt it coming.

Suddenly his memory space became tighter and tighter.

It was behind him; no, it was _above_. At his left, below him. It was _everywhere_. A digital monster of many tentacles, layer over layer of vicious code ready to absorb every piece of his delicious data. He'd never forget how that creature felt like. A few days ago, his emergency shutdown routines kicked in automatically the first time they brushed each other, to prevent data corruption.

If he had a physical body, Roland was sure that he would be trembling by now.

"I'm so screwed..." he muttered, to the empty digital space.

 

**ENGINEERING DECK - DELTA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

John found a service terminal and shoved Sigrid's chip in the port. A loud bang sounded across the hallway and he turned around to see the Dr. Halsey and Subject Two collapse against the wall, the scientist wasn't moving but the other woman screamed in pain, clutching her right arm.

He unclasped the plasma sword and fired it up, immediately.

Wielding twin blades, the Rampant Spike stepped into the hallway, faint traces of smoke followed her around but her armor seemed to be intact. She dropped two large pieces of the destroyed plasma rifle and turned her head slowly to mind the SPARTAN charging at full speed. They were maybe thirty feet away from each other but you could still _smell_ the crazy. He had a millisecond to think of Charley, but tried not to. Not now. Subject Two was still screaming, her right arm twisted in a strange position; there was blood out of Dr. Halsey's mouth as well, but they were both alive. The elder woman was still breathing.

John leveled the sword and braced for impact, it was his last chance to terminate that monster and he was gladly taking it.

The blue lightings on the HARPY's joints flared again, showing her discomfort.

Still, she didn't attack. She didn't even try to use the Doctor or the other woman as human shields.

Instead, she waited and ducked his first strike, the second and the third.

She was staggering, but still had optimum control of her body and senses.

Something exploded deep down below deck, sending a violent shudder through the inner walls of the _Infinity_ along with a concert of screeching sounds. This time it was violent, an earthquake inside the vessel; John felt it rumbling through his own body and he struggled to stay on his feet, again. The lights on the corridor faltered, blinking in and out and finally out. John's HUD shifted to night-vision but he switched it off, his own eyes were best against an enemy his sensors couldn't see. The power died in that entire section of the ship, and John cursed under his breath.

Did Sigrid made it to copy herself before the shutdown?

The sound of a devious laughter brushed his senses. The plasma blade was bright enough to see, but she was fast. The Spike knocked him down shoulder first and pain washed over him, so intense that he actually screamed. Thin blades pierced through the flesh below his shoulder joints severing half of the major nerves. With both arms now rendered useless, the Chief fell flat on his back.  

The plasma sword flickered and died when it hit the floor.

Instinct kicked in and John tried to fight back, but he could only feel three fingers on each hand, maybe an arm twitching, nothing more. No response.

"Do you hear it, John?" the Spike crackled. She backed away to a sitting pose, straddling his waist. He would have used his legs to strangle her if it wasn't for the blade aiming directly at his vulnerable throat. "That's how your _failure_ sounds. The pressure pumps are exploding. Deck after deck, people are asphyxiating. Maybe the unknown depths of slip-space will swallow us, who knows? Isn't it _exciting_?"

His HUD was as dead as it could get, only Sigrid's last message kept flaring.

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

RolaND is WAIting fOr mE

It couldn't be the end. He tried again, desperately, but his hands didn't move.

The Spike cocked her head, amused.

"If this piece of shit holds enough to make it to Earth and my calculations were correct, we will exit slip-space over the UNSC's FLEETCOM airspace and given how fast we're moving, I'd say the crash will erase Australia and all of the small artificial islands around it, the big Polynesian States will be history too. With a little bit of luck, we might become an extinction level event."

Her armor reabsorbed one of the swords and the now free hand caressed John's faceplate, lovingly, as she ignored Subject Two's cries of pain. She leaned in closer, the bright blue visor only mere inches away from his. John was bleeding bad, he could feel the thick humidity squishing beneath the layers of his undersuit. She didn't sever just the nerves, she might have nicked the axillary arteries as well... he figured that given how specific the wounds were, the built-in biofoam injectors were useless.

"Game over, my dear John." she whispered, her fingers cupping his helmet's chin. "I always knew that you and I would die together."

"I'm getting _really tired_ of you, Seven."

The Spike snapped to attention, but she didn't even make it to look back.

Two broad blades pierced through the woman's body from behind, crossed like a scissor, pushing her forward and scratching deep into John's breastplate. The tips of the spikes melted twin nicks on the titanium surface, almost piercing it through. The wounds smoked profusely as the combination of plasma edges and black metal burned through the flesh, and the Rampant Cortana arched her body up and back, trying to get up; her hands clutched in claws, her limbs twitching in pain.

The Rampant Spike stopped moving and collapsed over John's chest, dead.

Cortana took a step back, wielding her blue-blazing blades.

"Chief, talk to me! Can you move?" she asked, somewhat scared.

He sighed deeply, tempted to drop his head back and rest for a short moment, but another explosion far beneath them compelled him to keep it together. He needed more biofoam, too. Or a medic.

Right then and there, he saw a monstrous figure rise behind Cortana, very tall and with a bright helmet.

 

**UNSC _INFINITY_ 'S MAIN NETWORK**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

Roland kept retreating, he abandoned another chunk of sub-systems and routines recently recovered as a diversion. That trick wasn't much of his liking, but truth be told, he sure appreciated the beauty of a well built fortress: the thick layers of firewalls that he created as fast as the alien AI devoured bought him time. His chances of attacking were reducing by the millisecond and at this rate he calculated that he'd never make it to drop the logic bomb he'd spent so much time preparing.

He had no idea if the alien AI would eat it, either, but he had to try.

It was a silent battle, nobody else inside the ship was aware of what was going on.

The monster kept lapping and tapping at Roland's walls as more and more failure messages piled over each other, crowding the interface. The AI diverted another splinter of processing power to manage the situation, but there wasn't much that he could do if he was under attack from literally every single angle, direction and dimension.

Even quantum-based intelligent life forms, somehow, had limits.

Roland stepped on something familiar, a known ID tag floating in the system. No, it was dashing forward from the far corners of the cyberspace (several decks below his current location) and cleansing every corrupted piece of code it encountered on its way. The ID tag reached him, it was a large, sentient construct.

"Sigrid!" Roland sighed, half relieved, half annoyed.

DID YOU MISS ME?

"Where have you been?" he added three more layers to the firewall, quickly.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.

NEED A HAND?

"Sure. You hold the beast while I do my magic trick."

NO.

GIVE _ME_ THE BOMB.

"What? No, I don't like what you're thinking."

I HAVE A PLAN.

GIVE IT TO ME.

"If you get infected by the virus, I might not be able to help you either."

YOU SHOULDN'T ARGUE WITH A WARRIOR QUEEN.

"So much for a warrior queen if you get eaten. Fine, you can have the bomb."

Sigrid's code brushed his when he let her pass through the firewall into his secured space; she deployed her own defenses to help him keep the monster outside. They both materialized their digital images in front of each other inside that small squared room made of white light, the safe-house.

Roland handed her a little bright box, glowing red. It looked innocent.

When their holographic fingers merged with each other as she received the file, Sigrid suddenly backed away from him, retrieving her arm. Her gray eyes turned grim, for some reason.

"What? Come on, grab the file!"

YOU ARE DIFFERENT.

She didn't use her voice, she texted him the message.

"What? What are you talking about?"

IT WAS THAT ARMOR.

DON'T TOUCH ME.

LEAVE THE BOMB AND I WILL PICK IT UP.

"Okay, since we have so much time to waste."

A table made of a bright material that resembled crystal appeared between them, the graphic representation of a storage drive. He put the red box on the table, and Sigrid quickly grabbed it on her digital fist, still looking coldly at him.

OPEN UP.

AND BE CAREFUL.

"You too. We still need you, don't do anything stupid."

Her hologram dissolved in a cloud of mist and she filtered her code again through the firewall, carrying the logic bomb. She made it out and studied her opponent with a critical eye. She was still 'sore' about the insignificant routines she had to let go in order to flee safely from their first encounter. However, being 'sore' also meant that she was 'angry'. She could do _angry_ , but not _afraid_. Never afraid.

Behind her, Roland engaged his own particular mission. He worked really fast but had to drop his firewalls to regain full process capacity, so Sigrid stood before him, wielding her best weapons: her own firewalls and the logic bomb. The firewalls folded around her, securing her core matrix and the logic bomb inside a tight cocoon as the monster approached, swallowing everything on its way.

The alien AI's 'tentacles' teased her boundaries at first, but then it quickly threw all of his might over her. It was now or never, she could end up very damaged, but she had to fulfill her duty.

Sigrid's code stirred in a roughish smile.

Roland continued with his task, he was diving deep into the network and in few seconds he managed to assess control of all the sub-systems necessary to navigate the ship. When he grasped the main life support system, he kind of released a relieved sigh. But a small fragment of him, a surveillance sub-routine, saw it all.

Sigrid let the monster grab her, and then she disappeared behind enemy lines.

That wasn't the plan. Why was she doing that?

"I told her not to do anything stupid!" Roland hissed.

After a few seconds (an eternity, in AI standards) the monster glitched, contorted and his tentacles opened wide to spit out something: a little glowing red box, with a little lid open. Roland's surveillance routine frowned, his work didn't stop. He was busy returning pressure and atmosphere to normal values on the most compromised areas of the _Infinity_ , but he froze _completely_ when he saw her literally hack and slice her way through the alien AI and get away of its grasp.

BRACE YOURSELF!

"Wait, what?"

DON'T WORRY, I GOT YOU!

Sigrid's code came crashing against his and covered him like a rough blanket and then retreated a little, as if she just remembered that she shouldn't be 'touching' him. Her firewalls shielded them both against the attack of the alien AI. The monster cornered them from every angle and clustered itself around them like a clamp sealed shut, so fast that Roland severed immediately all of his links with the rest of the ship.

"What the Hell, Sigrid!? We were supposed to survive this!"

I GOT YOU.

I WILL PROTECT YOU.

"You just wrapped us up like a nice, little present!! It will destroy us!!"

NO, LOOK AT IT.

IT'S FUCKED.

Her firewalls flickered for a millisecond, but she was right. The alien AI started glitching out of control and retreated quickly, abandoning them. Roland saw his piece of code working inside of it, turning the routines against themselves. The monster actually started eating its own code, strands of programming being deleted faster and faster. The virus exploded like a firework, it was an infectious process that would destroy anything close enough to get caught until there was nothing left, even itself. The show lasted less than thirty seconds from the initial blast until the last layer of the enemy AI dissolved leaving nothing but small pieces of useless code behind.

Sigrid ran a cleansing program through the cyberspace and destroyed any possible remains, no trace of the virus either.

It was built to self destruct.

Roland and Sigrid drifted in silence for a few seconds, waiting for something else to happen. They separated from each other and he resumed his tasks as she continued her search for threats, both still a bit reluctant. They reunited again in the bright squared room, presenting their digital forms to each other. He was glowing in sheer happiness and she, on the other hand...

"Are you alright? Your avatar is kind of flickering."

I'M FINE.

I'M RUNNING A CHECKSUM, THAT WILL DO.

"If you need any help..."

I DON'T.

THAT WASN'T A VIRUS.

IT WAS A KILL SWITCH, WASN'T IT?

"Heavily modified to overwrite an alien AI, yes. It was my kill switch, actually."

THAT WAS PRETTY SMART.

"You didn't do that bad yourself, lady. If I had a body right now, I'd kiss you."

Her face contorted in an overacted frown.

YOU'RE SO _NOT MY TYPE_.

"No need to underline that, you know. I was just being friendly."

WHY DON'T WE JUST TAKE BACK OUR SHIP?

Roland saluted, with a relieved smile. "Aye-aye, ma'am!"

 

**ENGINEERING DECK - DELTA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

"JUL, DON'T! WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT!"

Cortana spun around, her head inches away from the edge of Jul 'Mdama's plasma blade. Judging by how close her own blazing swords were from the Sangheili's thick, reptilian neck, they would have killed each other if it wasn't for Dr. Halsey. His grey eyes drifted from Cortana to the renowned Demon laying flat on his back to the woman screaming in pain, snuggling against the wall; to the dead body already decomposing over the Demon's chest and the gray-haired woman tugging on his wrist with desperate emphasis.

They all had the same face, but they weren't the same.

"This is not the same unholy monster." the alien said, growling, now looking at Cortana. "They don't _smell_ the same."

"We have to go. Now!" Halsey hissed, her face flinching in pain.

"The Demon." 'Mdama made a gesture with his head.

Cortana restated her position, lifting the blue-blazing blades a little.

"You will have to kill me first." she shouted.

"Nobody is going to kill anybody else!" Halsey stopped them, her teeth clenched. 'Mdama gave her a disapproving look, but she kept going: "If you kill him, you can kiss your army goodbye! We have an _agreement_ : John lives."

"This ship is going to burn anyway."

"Maybe. We might as well leave now, then."

The Sangheili roared and without further words picked up Halsey, throwing her over his shoulder rather unkindly. Cortana took a few steps back, still standing on her defensive position to guard the Master Chief, and she saw the scientist take a rounded, silvery device out of her coat's pocket and after tapping on some buttons, she let it fall on the floor. The ship around them thundered again, screeching and shuddering.

A slip-space port opened, from the device. Big enough for a Sangheili to cross.

"Grab her!" Dr. Halsey yelled, her face contorting in pain. "I need her."

Cortana wasn't sure of what the Doctor meant by that until she saw 'Mdama walk back towards Subject Two and grab her by the neck, with the same kindness he showed to every human. The other woman screamed louder, her broken arm untangled itself and fell limp beside her body. The Elite took both women to the portal, quickly.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Cortana shouted, angrily.

Halsey looked at her, her cold blue eyes weary. “She will re-spawn within ten to fifteen days, _she has to grow a body back first_ , I figured out that much. You must get to the _Fortress_ in the meantime and erase her from the _Domain_ , permanently. Only then, you will kill the Rampant Spike for good.”

'Mdama set a foot at the edge of the open portal, impatiently.

Cortana pursued them. "Wait! No, don't take her!"

"Destroy this translocation device! She's using it _to spy on you_!"

That last sentence froze Cortana's blood.

The Sangheili dived into the bluish cloud of radiation and disappeared. The portal closed suddenly, she stopped dead and took a few steps back, still stunned. Her whole body was trembling, she couldn't believe what just happened. Dr. Catherine Halsey took her sister. What did she want Two for? What was she really doing with Jul 'Mdama, probably the greatest enemy still posing a threat to the UNSC?

She let go a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.

Every muscle on her body ached, either out of fear, rage or fatigue.

What was she supposed to do? Follow them? Why?

The ship was back under human control now, wasn't it? The Spike was dead.

_The Spike was dead again._

_'That should do it for now.'_ she thought, but Halsey's information just dropped a new problem on her lap, a kaleidoscope of options _. 'Ten to fifteen days... and then what? This, all over again? It's madness.'_

Cortana fell slowly to the floor, her mind boiling with unanswered questions. Her armor absorbed the plasma-edged swords and she let her hands rest limply over her thighs. She was so tired, so tired...

"Chief." she called, softly.

He didn't answer.

"Chief, come on..."

She turned around to see, and her eyes opened wide at the sight of another show of amber lights floating up and fading, particles of code drifting away from the Rampant Spike's dead body as the data purge decomposed her. She watched quietly until all of her rampant sister disappeared in thin air, leaving only her armor behind. The HARPY kept the shape for a few seconds and then it dissolved in a dull pile of black tiny beads, spilling over the Chief's MJOLNIR and the floor with a hissing sound.

His stillness, however, was disturbing.

"John, are you okay?"

No response either. She panicked.

Then, Cortana saw the blood under John's body, a pool red and thick.

 _And the minuscule sand-like beads moving quickly towards two breaches on his suit, very close to his armpits_.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Wow, that was the longest chapter ever! 6.500 words! *dies*

This chapter is so long that I shouldn't be updating again like in 2 weeks... right? Anyway, I struggled with this for several days, it was madness. I barely do re-writing but this time some scenes needed it and yet, two scenes had to be cropped out from this chapter and moved to the next, because if you think this was over, you are wrong. Don't forget the _Infinity_ is still stuck in deep-shit slip-space, falling apart and a lot of people is dying, our beloved SPARTAN boy included. Can I request a salute for Roland and Sigrid? They did great.

Join me next week to read the conclusion of this epic arch into disaster!

And the Chief should make it alive too, right? Poor Chief.

**Thanks so much for your company every week -more hugs- Can't wait to see what you think about this drama overdose! xD See you!**


	26. World's Edge

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

This is another episode that starts heavy but it should be the (long promised) conclusion of the "Seven fucks up the _Infinity_ " arch. There might be some more scares for you here and this chapter is also a bit long, so be careful. But anyway, enjoy :)

**25\. WORLD'S EDGE**

_proofread and corrections by SL4Y3R -hugs-_

 

**NAVIGATION AISLE - BRIDGE**

**MISSION CLOCK TIMED OUT**

 

The last Elite in the area dropped dead under Commander Palmer's heavy fire.

"Clear!"

Tedra Grant ran after Walter and entered the navigation aisle to find the lights on but all the screens offline. The Commander strolled in slowly, behind her, scanning the area in search of any other possible threat; she stood beside the massive black dog. Only when she convinced herself that they were now safe, Palmer lowered the pistol and moved to the consoles. She tapped in a few controls.

"The navs are still dead." her frustration was evident.

A familiar voice crackled through the main speaker system: _"This is UNSC Smart AI RLD 0205-4 calling to all available assets."_

"Roland?" asked Palmer, between amazement and relief. "Can you hear me? Are you operational?"

 _"Safe and sound, ma'am, it's Sigrid and I. There's only the two of us left now."_ the AI answered, although his voice kept broadcasting the previous message as he spoke with the SPARTAN. He didn't show his hologram. _"I have eyes on you, I'm taking back the systems as fast as I can. I must report to you that Jul 'Mdama just fled the ship along with Dr. Catherine Halsey, they used a device to avoid the slip-space anomaly and jump out of the Infinity."_

 _'That old hag was aboard?'_ Sarah thought, now alarmed. Her mind raced trying to find an answer she'll probably never get. _'Why? This isn't a coincidence, she came here to do something. What if she sabotaged the ship? Shit!'_

"Just like rats." the Commander hissed instead, frowning. "The Spike?"

_"Terminated, ma'am. The Master Chief and Cortana succeeded."_

Sarah Palmer took a deep, relieved breath. She also felt a little less guilty.

"And I guess you annihilated the enemy AI too."

_"You guess right."_

"That's the third best news I've heard today. Thank you, Roland."

"Jul 'Mdama took off just like that, leaving his men behind? It's hard to believe." pointed out Grant. "Elites don't flee, they fight 'till the last one standing."

_"Not many of them left anyway, SPARTAN Grant. In three more minutes we would have neutralized the threat. Although we are far from safe."_

Palmer frowned and sheathed her sidearm. "Wait, you said something about a 'slip-space anomaly', what's going on?"

_"We're diving out of control in some unexplored layer of slip-space, ma'am. The ship isn't taking it very well, as you can see. We've lost pressure on several decks due to hull breaches and power failures, the air recycling system is in critical shape. I can count radiation leaks and you don't want to know what else. There are mechanical failures that need a human hand right away. I've also lost all wireless comm networks, but I still have a handful of speakers working."_

The Commander stood very still. She wasn't sure if it was safe to remove her helmet or not, so she just stood there, sweating inside her suit. Heart pounding in her ears, Sarah tried to wrap her mind around what the AI was saying. They were crippled and going God knows where.

How many people were already dead, and how many more would die?

She didn't dare to ask, not now.

"Then take us back to normal space!" said Grant, her voice full of worry.

_"No can do, SPARTAN Grant. The engines and the reactor have to be stabilized first. I'm diverting power and coolant fluids from every dispensable substation to the main pipeline, it should help. All I can do for now is keep her running and I don't know for how much longer."_

Palmer punched the console before her, cracking the thick liquid crystal surface, denting the metallic frame. She managed to keep her voice calm:

"What can we do to help you?"

_"Gather the engineering crew, send them down there to fix the coolant leaks and kill the fires. It's mandatory. Then we can start thinking about a shutdown."_

"Fine, I'll get to it."

 _"Commander... there's something else."_ that was Sigrid's voice. " _Dr. Halsey left the ship with Jul 'Mdama and another young female. It was Subject Two, ma'am. I think they kidnapped her."_

**NO DATE RECORDED**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING DECK - DELTA STATION COMPUTER LABS**

**standard time not recorded**

 

"Oh my God, what is _this_?"

"We can get to that later. Please, just..."

He heard two familiar voices, far away and a little muffled.

It was like listening to someone else's conversation through a wall, as far as the thundering background noises allowed him to hear. He was lying on his back. There was an amber glow around, the color reminded him of light sticks. Someone crouched down by his left side.

"Okay, he's breathing, that's good. And I see the blood, where are the wounds?"

"I saw breaches on his exo-suit, somewhere up here."

There was a short moment of silence.

"Okay, this is scary. I can't find the port to link my pad. Help me take the helmet off... if we can take it off, that is. Collins? Get me some blood, you know which one. Two units. I don't like how this looks."

"Yes, ma'am." that last one wasn't a familiar voice.

They were now messing with his helmet's pressure locks. His first, most natural reaction was to engage and fight back, but his arms felt really heavy so he dropped the idea. His sight was blurry, his breaths were shallow. He should let them work, he could trust those voices.

Yeah, he was absolutely willing to _cooperate._

"Whoa! Step back!" that was Dr. Quinn.

"I was expecting something like that. He can hear us."

Was the other one Cortana? It sounded like her.

He sort of recognized Dr. Quinn's features; she was wearing an oxygen mask. The air tasted weird, thin and smoky. And it was cold. The woman carefully leaned over him and waved a hand before his face, wielding a pocket flashlight.

"Hm, I don't like this either." she pulled the collar of his undersuit and touched the left side of his neck, then retreated to work on a glowing square. "Weak pulse and low blood pressure, which is consistent with massive blood loss. I guess that even war gods bleed from time to time, but, _where_ is he wounded, exactly?"  

"Be careful."

"Believe me, this thing scares the shit out of me so I'm being careful." the Doctor snorted, nervously. "Master Chief, are you with us?"

John tried to speak, but he only spat out a confused groan.

The woman presented her gloved hand in front of his eyes.

"How many fingers do you see?"

"Two?" he felt his mouth full of cotton or something.

"Congrats, you're handsome _and_ smart. Can you tell me where are you injured?"

John wasn't really sure, and that would be a first for him. His sight cleared a bit and he felt under the tips of his armored fingers that the floor was trembling. It all came back to him slowly. _Paragon_. Subject Eleven. The _Challenger_. The shrieking sun. The _Infinity_. The attack. Dr. Halsey. Subject Two. Cortana. Sigrid. Roland. Seven shoving her swords through his flesh.

Something screeched in the distance, metal scraping against metal.

He pushed with his elbows and tried to get up to a sitting position.

"She attacked me. I couldn't move my arms." he said, still not fully conscious.

"No, don't move, you have something attached to you..."

"Chief, be careful. You will be okay, trust me!"

She grabbed his shoulder, he knew it was Cortana.

Trust her? About what? His pulse raced and he quickly regained lucidity.

The Chief sat straight up and the amber lights glowed over his armor. How come he didn't notice before? Something was off. It was almost weightless. Matte black, with some stripes made of an iridescent shade of dark olive-green. Maybe. He wasn't sure. His sight was getting blurry again.

"Cortana?" he murmured, lost.

"I'm here. Lie back, come on..."

"Is Charley okay?"

"We had to put her in cryo, she's not doing so good. You need to lie back, now."

Something pounded on the back of his head. White noise. It became louder.

It was _moving_ against his skin, sliding slowly, making him feel uncomfortable. It was like the touch of sand. Something was pressing against his... consciousness? It was pushing and pushing, his head hurt. There was an unmistakable _presence_ in there with him, fighting to take him down without any violence. He felt dizzy. His eyelids became heavier, his head started spinning and the pain escalated.

"What is happening to me?"

"Don't panic, John. You will be fine, I..."

She kept talking, but he couldn't hear her voice anymore.

Panic? He wasn't one to give in to panic. He just passed out again.

 

**NO DATE RECORDED**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**NAVIGATION AISLE - BRIDGE**

**time stamp not recorded**

 

There was no proper way to calculate how much time had passed. It could have been just a few hours, but given time's tendency to fly when people is busy, it might as well have been days and nobody would care. Everybody was hungry, thirsty, in dire need of sleep and sore, but they kept going.

Once they breached the blast doors into the S-Deck and the main armories, the morale seemed to spike. The remaining SPARTAN teams could gather gear, ammo and more suitable weapons. Now they had Marine, ODST and SPARTAN squads sweeping through the ship in search of any remaining alien with hostile intentions or anyone who needed help. Every available hand capable of wielding a welder, a screwdriver or a plasma saw was commissioned to help the engineering crew with the repairs. There was no clock, true, but they were all still working against it; the ship reminded them every now and then that she might not last for long. It was impossible to access certain bays because of the jammed doors or the wild fires raging everywhere.

Fear fueled some people's determination. Hope fueled others.

With eighty percent of comms dead, most of the maintenance decks uninhabitable and beyond immediate recovery, not enough air or medical supplies for all the wounded and two Forerunner engines devouring energy like crazy, they still made it.

They made it, because _survival_ was hardwired in their very natures, reinforced by training.

The hardest part was to stabilize the reactor, since the radiation leaks were near deadly values. It was a coordinated effort along with the other crews that were repairing damaged pipelines and broken pumps. Once the pressure returned to normal values, a lot of other sub-systems recovered steadiness too. At least the _Infinity_ wasn't screeching like a wounded animal anymore, for the time being, and it stopped shuddering too. Then it came Roland's turn to grab a hold of the engines and take control of the ship, which was another tricky task even for an AI such as him.

"Okay, let's do this." Lasky murmured, almost to himself. He watched attentively the screens in front of him, some graphics were flaring in _critical_ -orange, others in _be-careful_ -yellow (which was always preferable over _you're-fucked_ -red). The Captain felt that he could breathe comfortably now. He gave Sarah Palmer a worried look, she gave him a concealed thumbs up. "Sigrid, Roland, are you both ready?"

 _"On your mark, sir."_ they answered together.

They were in sound-only mode to save power.

"Do it. Take us to normal space."

_"Initializing shutdown protocol. Exit vector ready."_

_"Shutting down FTL drives."_ Sigrid said.

_"Keep an eye on the pressure. If it reaches…"_

_"Man **your** station, Roland. FTL drives offline."_

_"Fine, grumpy queen. Forcing exit vector. So far, so good."_

_"Exiting slip-space in seven... six... five..."_

_"Cherenkov radiation is spiking, way off normal values."_

_“… three… two… one.”_

Every single person present on the bridge clutched to their seats. Palmer moved forward and seized the Captain by the shoulders, but none of them were ready for what followed. The momentum was brutal, as if the ship had crashed head first against the immovable end of the world. Again came the screeching of twisted metal, this time with the addition of loud thuds, they were ramming through very large loose objects stranded in space; it could have been either debris or anything else.

Despite Palmer's magnetic boots, she and the Captain fell violently to the floor.

"Roland! What the hell is going on?" shouted Palmer.

 _"The exit vector opened a port in the middle of an asteroid field, ma'am. Please, remain calm."_ said Sigrid. _"Correcting course now."_

 _"We made it!"_ Roland was really excited.

"We're crashing into asteroids, what are you so happy about?"

_"I'm on it, Commander!"_

For a moment the gravity inside the bridge seemed to increase, but it was merely the effect of acceleration as the AIs guided the ship 'up' at full cruiser speed. Palmer got up from the floor and lent the Captain a hand. They both seized positions around the deactivated holo-table, grasping the edges. The ship hit a few more asteroids on her way out but finally, after a few minutes, the bumping and shuddering stopped and there was only silence.

Lasky let go of the table carefully.

"Anyone hurt?"

One after another, all the voices across the bridge answered negative. The Captain sighed in sheer relief.

"That was too easy." muttered the Commander.

"I'm not going to argue with the results." said Lasky. "Roland? Sigrid?"

 _"We're still here."_ she answered.

"Good work." Lasky smiled, mostly to himself. "Are we still in one piece?"

 _"Well, since we didn't leave half of the ship behind, I'd say we are. Do you want to know what's our twenty, sir?"_ asked Roland, cheerfully.

"If you please."

 _"Deploying probes now."_ Sigrid informed.

 _"Accessing navigation database and triangulating stellar coordinates."_ the other AI replied, his electronic voice steady although it crackled with static. _"Uh. I'm reading bodies matching Pluto's and Charon's mass. Mostly planetoids. I'm still scanning, but this seems pretty conclusive to me; Captain, this appears to be Sol System. Kuiper's Belt to be more precise."_

"Wait, we're _that_ close to home? It can't be, we were several _months_ away from Sol System when the _Infinity_ was hijacked."

_"You imply I'm wrong, sir?"_

"I don't know, you tell me."

 _"Checking again."_ that was Sigrid's voice. _"He's not wrong, sir."_

 _"The long-range perimeter scan also confirms. I’m picking up encoded signals from two UNSC relay satellites."_ Roland filled the aisle's screens with eerie live video feeds of the _Infinity_ 's surroundings, including the thick asteroid field they just rammed through and all of the major bodies. It was also possible to see how damaged the vessel was from the outside, in certain angles. _"We were probably seconds away from Earth, you never know how slip-space this deep works."_

Lasky didn't say it out loud, but Roland probably meant that everybody aboard that ship had been incredibly close to death and yet miraculously survived. Either if it was out of luck or the most accurate timing ever, a good lot of people were still alive. It was more than something, it was the best news Lasky had heard in a long time.

He sighed deeply and rubbed his prickly beard.

He could use a good shave, and something to eat too, he didn’t care what or how much, just something. A nice date with a comfortable pillow would be nice too. They were safe, he could take a step back to clear his head. Sarah Palmer must have read his thoughts, because she leaned in a bit and whispered on his ear:

"Let me take care of this, Tom. You still owe Dr. Quinn an appointment."

"Thanks. But first things first." he sighed, content. "Good work, everyone, I think we’ve earned ourselves some rest... within our possibilities. Take us home nice and easy, Roland. We have repairs to do."

 _"You mean... you'll let me drive, sir?"_ the AI asked, his voice tinted with surprise.

"Not in a million years, you're under Ensign Webber's watch."

_"Can I play some music, then? It's therapeutic."_

"You know what? I'd say you can. Just... nothing too obnoxious, please."

_"Aye-aye, sir!"_

Lasky left the bridge accompanied by the sound of the nav crew's happy clapping and cheerful whistling, while soft old time rock-n-roll music flowed through all decks, aisles and bays filling every corner. The Captain smiled briefly and kept walking.

He waited until being inside his quarters to close his eyes and let the worry and sorrow wash over him, like a wrecking ball. It would take days to retrieve the bodies, to get all the living souls accounted for and to recover even a small sense of normality, but they would survive.

 

**DAY ONE**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK ARMOR ASSEMBLY STATIONS**

**standard time not recorded - probably afternoon**

 

Cortana let out a loud sigh and rubbed her eyes, terribly tired.

One of the twelve ODSTs guarding the hydraulic platform gave her a weary look. She straightened her pose, angry.

It was day one of the _Infinity_ 's quiet trip back to Earth; through the relay satellites they made contact and received orders to avoid any activity that could endanger the structural integrity of the ship, so slip-space jumps were off the table for the time being. A rescue fleet was on their way. Everyone at Earth seemed a bit surprised to hear from them, although the _Challenger_ made it to deliver the message about the hijacking and the UNSC was somewhat expecting their return. More like FLEETCOM was expecting the largest warship ever created to appear over their heads, at the point.

She heard two ODSTs talking about what fire-teams Sygma and Drachma found at the K-9 quarters earlier that day. Charley, Walter and the other three dogs John chose for operation PARAGON were now the only living members of the _Infinity_ 's K-9 unit. Cortana checked on the growing list of KIA personnel every now and then, although she shouldn't be doing that. Amongst the dead, she read of a young Corporal named Amira Jenko, but since Cortana didn't know who that was, she didn't feel any sadder than she already did. At least SPARTANS Thorne, Hoya and Madsen were recovering from their injuries; thankfully Grant was unharmed.

None of them were taking well the death of their team leader. _Nobody_ was taking _anything_ very well in general, to be honest.

Admiral Osman and thirteen of her men and women were found trapped inside an armory with very low atmosphere. Ten ONI agents were dead, but Osman and the other two survivors were in a coma due to oxygen deprivation. Dr. Quinn had no idea if they would wake up anytime soon, or if they would have any kind of brain injuries. To sum up more, the two main med-bays were full, the medical staff were shorthanded both in supplies and personnel. There were patients sleeping on the very hallways. Thousands of people were quickly placed in cryo-sleep because of the severity of their injuries, it was the most practical choice; the frozen people didn't eat or breathe, for the time being the power wasn't the problem.

Cortana had to lay the pad down. She couldn't bear it anymore.

Worry was eating her from inside out. She spent hours with the Commander and the Captain filling them in with the facts she could account for. If there was any chance of taking advantage from Dr. Halsey's intel on Subject Seven, Cortana was willing to give it a try. Sarah Palmer was very reluctant (and angry because nobody shot Halsey right on the spot) but Thomas Lasky tried to keep his mind open. He wanted to believe in Cortana's words about the formulas she found scribbled on the walls of the Delta Station computer lab, her theory seemed solid and hopeful.

Alas, if Dr. Halsey was right, they were running out of time; what she said might mean that she wasn't working along with the Rampant Spike after all.

It didn't matter, anyway. The _Infinity_ wasn't going anywhere anytime soon unless the major repairs could be performed and FLEETCOM approved the operation, it was a dead-end. Lasky was clear about that, they had orders. Cortana understood, of course, but she couldn't help to feel more frustration and fear. She was pacing nervously around the S-Deck dressed in the undersuit of her HARPY armor, with the armor itself clutched at her back like a bulky backpack, in desperate need of a shower and a bed. The bed was the more appealing, to be honest, her bones nearly melted at the mere thought.

She needed to sleep so bad...

But she didn't want to leave _him_ alone.

Cortana's eyes found the Chief's figure again. He was still unconscious, pinned to an armor assembly station by the wrists and ankles, immobilized. _As if that thing could stop him_. She wondered what he would say when he woke up and could see what Commander Palmer ordered the technicians to do.

She figured that John wouldn't be happy at all.

She had to leave, anyway. The ODSTs were very insistent about that.

**DAY ONE**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**SCIENTIFIC STAFF QUARTERS DECK**

**standard time not recorded - probably night**

 

Cortana went straight from the containment facility in which she stored the crate with her HARPY to her quarters, kicked her boots off, washed herself a little (water was being rationed now) and let her weight fall over the thin mattress. She didn't bother in picking up the towel from the floor. Exhausted didn't even get to cover half of how she felt. She quickly wrapped herself in a thick blanket and closed her eyes, trying to warm up and relax. The heating wasn’t working so it was a bit chilly in there. Cortana focused on clearing her mind, taking deep breaths. Every muscle on her body felt immediately better, it was such a marvelous sensation...

Sleep was taking her when a husky yet feminine electronic voice startled her:

_"I need your help."_

Cortana groaned and covered her head with the blanket.

"Showing up like this in someone's room is just rude, Sigrid. Even I know that."

" _Well, I'm sorry. Now, get your ass out of that bed, I said I needed you."_

"How do you even know...?"

_"I've seen your face through the S-Deck video feeds. You have terrible eye-bags."_

"Can't you just go and annoy someone else?"

_"No, I need you. Specifically."_

Cortana shoved the blanket to her feet and rolled to lie on her back, irritated.

"And why is that, I wonder?"

_"... you will understand once you see it. At least, I hope you will. It has to be now, there's nobody around."_

Now, that piqued Cortana's interest. She swallowed another groan and pretended not to be paying attention, but still, she sat on the bed and fixed her untidy hair.

"Okay, fine. What do you want?"

_"Containment facility four. I'll be waiting for you there, so hurry up."_

 

**DAY ONE**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**ENGINEERING DECK - CONTAINMENT FACILITY FOUR**

**standard time not recorded - probably night**

 

Cortana crossed her arms, defensively, when she saw what Sigrid had done.

The AI's hologram flickered over the holo-pad above the table, she had her arms crossed too. She hacked the engineering drones to get something from the quarantine facilities; on the table lied a HARPY in the shape of a neat pile of black sand. If Cortana had to guess which one it was, she'd say that it was the one recovered from Sanghelios, when the Chief managed to kill Seven for the first time.

A shiver ran up and down her arms, she took a step back, behind the yellow lines drawn on the rubber floor.

"You shouldn't be playing with this, it isn't safe." Cortana scolded her, serious.

"There's a reason why this is called a 'containment facility', right?" Sigrid mocked.

"You have an attitude problem, kid."

"I'll reflect on that later. Place that nuclear battery on top of the pile."

Cortana narrowed her eyes, between annoyance and suspicion.

She picked up the device, anyway. "Magic word?"

" _Please._ " Sigrid huffed. "Place the battery on top of the pile, and step back."

"My pleasure." Cortana gently dropped the battery with the green display facing up, where Sigrid had requested. "What are you going to do?"

"A little experiment. Roland shared with me his logs about the HARPY's systems, and I believe I have figured out how to wipe out its programming. But I need power to hold it together and I don't have body heat or bioelectricity like you. It could also backfire on me, so step back. A little farther."

"I'll be right beside the kill switch, don't worry."

She retreated again until her back was against the blast doors. Cortana opened the small box by the doors and held a finger over a red button. It would generate a small, controlled EMP pulse that was supposed to deactivate any kind of technological device six feet around the table (inside the yellow lines). It wouldn't hurt Sigrid, since most of her higher functions were stored in the _Infinity_ 's network, but it would probably fry a small part of her.

"Well, here we go."

Sigrid's flickering figure walked out of the holo-pad and disappeared, as if she had jumped head first into a pool.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

After a full minute, Cortana noticed movement over the surface of the pile. A little whirlpool opened, growing bigger and bigger, spinning faster and faster. The whirlpool grew thick vines that clutched the battery and dragged it to its core, then it crumbled over itself folding and prancing like turbulent sea waves. It kept moving and building itself up, taking the shape of a solid black cube with very sharp edges. After a moment, suddenly, all activity ceased and for a few more seconds it was quiet again. Even the soft hissing sound stopped.

Four little polished-black _worms_ crawled up from the upper side of the cube.

No, they were _fingers_. Four fingers.

Then a fifth, and a whole hand. A forearm. An elbow, an arm. A shoulder.

And a head.

Cortana took in a deep breath. The solid body rose slowly, as it forged itself it drained the dark material until there was not even a single bead left and it revealed a full sized human figure with all the right proportions, female and curvaceous. A green status light blinked on the body's chest. The figure stood still for a while, as if frozen, sitting with her fair legs cast aside and down the edge of the table. It was _naked_ , although the artificial skin was traced in a soft scaled-like pattern which smoothed at the hands, feet and face. Every feature was highly detailed, eye-catching.

It seemed to have its eyes closed, no eyelashes. The nose was softly rounded and small, perky; and the lips, although rather thin yet a little pouty, were clamped shut. The 'hair' was a collection of tightly fabricated small braids streaming over the figure's head, back of the neck and shoulders, carved into the polished dark skin.

It was of slender, muscular frame, feminine and powerful like the shield-maiden she liked to resemble.

It was Sigrid, wasn't it?

Cortana closed her mouth, trying to contain her amazement.

"Sigrid?" she asked, cautiously.

The figure's head snapped towards her, eyes now open. There was no pupil or iris, just shiny dark eyeballs in the same shiny dark plastic-like face. Cortana felt another shiver run down her back.

The creature frowned.

"It feels strange." it muttered, the lips moved producing the words, the voice was familiar but odd, with an electronic ring on the background. "I mean, it actually _feels_ like something. I feel the room temperature. It's cold, I believe."

"Sigrid." Cortana insisted, asking for confirmation.

"It's me, yes. UNSC Smart AI SGD 0306-7. I'm fine."

"Did you just... make yourself a body?"

She looked at her fingers and curled them softly, making a fist, then stirred them back. She wiggled her toes and feet, balanced her legs. She was absorbed watching the muscles constrain and flex, as if made of real flesh. And then, pushed aside and fell from the table, standing on her lean legs.

"It was just an experiment. It worked." Sigrid said, distractedly. "Can I keep it?"

Cortana dropped her shoulders a bit.

"Now I understand." she muttered. "Why you wanted it to be me. You'd think that I, of all people, would understand what you are doing now. And I do, believe me, but whether if you can keep this so-called _body_ or not... that's not up to me, I'm afraid."

Sigrid took a steady step towards her. She was taller than Cortana, a living seven feet tall statue made of black marble. As tall as John in full armor.

"I will scratch your back if you scratch mine." she said, grimly.

Cortana frowned. " _What?_ "

Sigrid turned her new head slowly towards the computers and blinked. A screen came to life, displaying a transcription and scans of some documents with ONI seals on them. Still watching over her shoulder, Cortana approached the console to read.

"They will take you." Sigrid explained, softly. "Admiral Serin Osman is in coma, which gives us a little time, but she prepared the documents. If she wakes up, it's game over for you and all of your siblings, ONI wants them too. She had you classified as a potential threat. But I can help you."

"Help me? Help me how?"

Sigrid tilted her head to the side, unnaturally slowly

"You know _how_. Maybe I could do something like what you did to get Ackerson in trouble, back in the day."

Cortana took several steps back. She didn't like the tone of Sigrid's electronic voice. And too bad she didn't have her armor on, she had the feeling that she might need it.

"And I guess _that's_ _how_ you got this information, right?"

Sigrid drew a wide, almost wicked smile on her lips. Her perfectly shaped black teeth shone like the rest of her body. In the same mix with those ghostly black eyes, the result was as terrifying as it was mesmerizing.

"I made a mistake and now I'm in danger too. If someone finds out that I have this much power, I will be decommissioned. _Erased_." She stated, now looking at her hands clasped together. Her polished-black features contorted in sheer fear. Too bad that the first _real emotion_ she ever got to experience had to be fear, precisely. "Humans tend to destroy or kill what they don't understand, and I don't fully understand this myself, but I can work on it. With this much processing power, I can multiply my utilities and maybe even overcome rampancy, become something else. I don't want to be erased, Cortana. I don't want _to die_."

The situation was getting off rails and could even end up in something worse than rampancy itself in no time. Cortana grasped her wrist; the creature was cold as a dead body, the skin was slippery.

"I said _I understood_." she whispered, catching the AI's attention. "But I didn't agree to be your partner in crime just yet. Now get out of that system. It won't end well if someone inconvenient sees you."

Sigrid nodded a few times. She looked confused now.

Maybe her systems were crashing, it was too much for her to manage alone. When Roland tasted the HARPY, Cortana was still controlling it, the armor was feeding from her, not from an alternate source such as a battery.

Trying to control her emotions, Cortana just stood there and observed how Sigrid crawled up the table and how the body disintegrated, returning to its original shape as a pile of tiny black beads, the battery cast aside. But although her eyes were watching the scene, Cortana's mind was racing deep in her own world of disturbed thoughts. She knew that it would eventually end up in something like that, she knew it since the very moment Serin Osman laid a boot inside the _Infinity_. She had her examined by a crew of technicians that pretty much harassed her and even had the papers ready. Why? Cortana understood the logical and tactical reasons behind such orders (anyone in Osman’s place would have been just as careful as her), but she didn’t want to comply.

She was alive and she wanted _to stay that way_. Was it so hard to accept?

Just like Sigrid, apparently.

And so much for asking for help, anyway. Who would endanger his or her career to help (or protect) a creature like her (like them both), who wasn't either human neither artificial? It was a tricky question with an easy answer; she could think of one man who would stand up in her defense. And he was unconscious, he had been like that for many hours now.

_He didn't have to make any more sacrifices for her, either._

When Sigrid reappeared at the holo-pad, Cortana approached.

"Access the video feeds and erase any log on what happened here. I will deal with Roland myself if necessary. And above all, Sigrid, you won't speak of this to anyone. Acknowledge." she demanded, serious.

"Acknowledged." the AI replied, calmly.

"Now, about scratching each other's backs..."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

You know that proverb, _'slip-space fucks logic and physics'_? Well, I just invented it, but it seems legit. They were traveling reeeeally deep into the deepest layers of slip-space. Sort of. Maybe nothing went "massive weird bat-shit crazy physics style" inside the ship because of the Forerunner engines, who knows? The important thing is that they are alive and...

AND WTF HAPPENED TO THE CHIEF? WHAT WAS THAT? OMG OMG!

Also, Sigrid made herself a creepy body! How about that? For the people that still suspects of her, I guess this makes you even more uncomfortable xD Okay, no more drama (for now), let's have a bit of fun and somewhat relax for the next few weeks, big things will happen and I think you'll like it very much *wiggles eyebrows*.

**I bet there's one or two things somebody wants to say about what happened today, so shoot! Be sure to log in for a quicker answer! :) See you all next Sunday!**


	27. Ripple Effect

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Here’s one of my favorites, I had so much fun with this chapter. Enjoy today’s ride.

**26\. RIPPLE EFFECT**

_proofread and corrections by SL4Y3R -hugs-_

 

**PROBABLY SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: COVENANT REMNANT ASSAULT CARRIER _SONG OF RETRIBUTION_**

**standard time unknown**

 

Dr. Halsey came back to her senses, slowly.

She recognized the environment at first sight, it was hard not to acknowledge her own private quarters aboard Jul 'Mdama's flagship since the place had her trademark untidy touch. With a long sigh, the woman tried to get up from where she was lying but a bolt of pain made her reconsider. A memory crossed her mind; the Rampant Spike snatching a plasma rifle from her and the other Cortana's hands and shoving them both against a distant wall. The blunt force of the impact sure took its toll on her, but Halsey didn't think she had any broken bones. Probably just two or three cracked ribs, since she landed on her left side.

Which was a total win for a sixty-six-year-old woman.

The Sangheili believed that accepting medical treatment was dishonorable; if you spilled your own blood, you better bleed out before anyone notices. So they probably didn't even care about her actual state, Jul just left her somewhere comfortable waiting for her to get up or die. Well, she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of throwing her dead body off an airlock, as he more than once suggested he'd like to do.

So, all of it actually meant that _the plan was successful_.

The Rampant Spike would be out of the way for a few days. Time to work.

Not without effort, Catherine Halsey got up to a sitting position. The whole ordeal was painful enough to make her reconsider about the cracked ribs too.

A glimpse of movement within the shadows on the far side of the room alerted her senses. The Doctor turned around as fast as she could, her sore muscles protested but she managed to keep a straight face when she recognized the familiar holographic crest upon the figure's helmet.

"I wondered if you would ever get up from that cot. You seem rather delicate even for human standards." commented Jul, keeping his head up with pride.

"It takes more than a deficient copy of my creations to kill me." she answered. Her throat felt dry.

"Yes, I have also come to the same conclusion myself."

She took a few sips from a cup she grabbed from the rack beside the bed, which had rests of a beverage long forgotten. After a few minutes of odd silence, the Sangheili leader came out of the shadows.

"I warned you about crossing that unholy demon. Have I not been there, she might have ended up killing you and the other one."

Halsey's eyebrows rose up a few millimeters.

She understood that Jul held some sort of primal fear towards the Rampant Spike, the reasons, however, were still unclear to her. Sangheili warriors like him were fearless and more than willing to die in the name of their honor, this kind of cowardice was very unexpected. And somewhat surprising, after all these years.

"Your _concern_ is appreciated, Jul. How is she?" the Doctor asked.

"Not doing very well. She will die very soon, her flesh burns and she looks ill."

The Doctor figured that the unattended broken arm was the cause.

She got on her feet immediately but staggered, badly. Jul 'Mdama reached out in the blink of an eye and grabbed her arm in a not-so-polite way, to help her stand. A low rumble shook his chest.

"Take me there. She is important, I can't let her die." Halsey grabbed a pad from the nearest desk.

"Very well." 'Mdama nodded once and led the way, with impatience.

They entered another aisle and the alien pushed her through an open door. Halsey could hear the muffled cries from the hallway. There were two Elite Storms standing beside another door that opened when Jul approached. It led to a small cell-like room which barely had a bed and some furniture that resembled a desk. When she laid eyes on the girl, the scientist felt her blood boil. Just like she thought before, the Elites didn't bother in doing anything to ease her pain.

 _'So much for honor.'_ she thought, angrily.

The Cortana splinter was lying on her side, clutching her broken arm against her chest. She looked incredibly pale, sick. She wasn't moving, but her skin was wet with sweat and she kept moaning in pain. There was no blood; however, the scent of a body in desperate need of proper cleaning filled Halsey's senses.

The Doctor kneeled before the other woman and measured the fever with the palm of her hand. 'Mdama was right, she was burning. Carefully, she convinced the girl to let her see the broken arm, the tips of her fingers were still stained with that lavender ink. Halsey's expert hand traced the inflamed flesh, assessing the wound. It was a simple, non-exposed and clean fracture, not more than two days old.

"I will make you a list of things, I need to fix this right away." she said.

"Are you afraid she might lose the arm too?" the Elite leader asked.

Halsey wrinkled her nose, upset.

"No, she won't lose it." the scientist sat on the bed and typed, after a moment she handed the pad to Jul. "I have to act quickly, I don't know for how much longer she will endure the pain. Remember we are not Sangheili, Jul; we, unlike you, take pride in our doctors' work."

He growled, clicking his mandibles beneath the faceplate of his helmet.

'Mdama called one of the guards in and gave him the pad, told him what he had to do with it. When the guard left, the doors closed again and silence fell over the room. The Cortana splinter wasn't moaning in pain anymore, but now her body trembled and she crawled to rest her head over Dr. Halsey's lap. Surprised by the reaction, the older woman just stood very still for a moment but eventually let her hand fall atop the poor creature's hair.

It somewhat reminded her of Miranda. Her heart felt heavy all of a sudden.

Until she heard the splinter mutter: "John."

Halsey caressed the woman's hair with slow movements, trying to comfort her.

"He's fine." she answered. "He's the luckiest of my SPARTANS. Trust me."

When she examined the other arm, she found a small Forerunner glyph tattooed on the girl's wrist, the glyph for the number two. The Doctor knew that there were at least other four copies of the recomposed Cortana alive. It made sense that they were numbered like that. And to add more oddity to the mix, one of the walls of the cell was scribbled from floor to ceiling, the writings almost illegible in several sections. It was the numbers, all over again, quantum calculations such as Halsey had never seen before. She deduced the meaning of the formulas and calculated the danger.

The Doctor was more than willing to make a little experiment.

"I suppose I should call you Two, then." said Dr. Halsey, sighing. "It suits you."

"Why did you insist so much in taking her?"

"Forethought, I suppose." she caressed the dark, dirty hair again.

"Then, was it worth it?" 'Mdama asked, growling. "To cross that monster."

The older woman looked at him with pride in her eyes.

"It was indeed, I have everything I need now, the coordinates and the data I was missing." she explained, calmly. "Just like I told you, there was a main reason why the Rampant Spike wanted to destroy the _Infinity_ : it's the only UNSC ship that can make the trip to the _Fortress_ , it's all about the engines. But now _we_ have a chance. This girl here is a treasure, I figure that she would have been delivered to ONI have we not taken her with us. This was the right thing to do, Jul."

The alien opened the door, but before exiting the room he turned his head towards the woman, his gray eyes flashed in the dark for a second. His piercing stare said that he had no interest in thinking about the right things to do, anyway.

"You can have your treat for now. Rahn will bring you your requested items in a moment." said 'Mdama, he sounded either bored or just aggravated. "But next time you are planning to do anything that could cost me a third of my most valuable warriors, you better think it through until the end, Halsey. I have yet to see the results of this so-called _alliance_ we share."

Which meant that he probably was annoyed because the possibility of killing the famous Demon was denied to him. Halsey nodded.

"Noted." she mumbled, as amused as the Sangheili.

 

**DAY TWO**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK MED-BAY**

**standard time not recorded - probably noon**

 

"What do you mean, _Catherine Halsey kidnapped Two_?" Eleven shouted, angrily. "Are you _kidding_ me? Who let that happen?"

"I'm sorry, I was busy killing Seven this time." answered Cortana.

He arrived with the rescue fleet, barely half an hour before. The _Infinity_ was being synchronized with the _Challenger_ 's systems, very soon they would have real account on exact time and situation, non-corrupted navigation data and maybe even the possibility of a short slip-space jump home. The engineering crews had been repairing as much damage as they could, directed by an exhausted Dr. Glassman, working miracles. After landing, Eleven went straight to Cortana; she was at the S-Deck's med-bay checking on Charley's cryo-pod when he found her.

She could understand his rage (after all, she would have been pissed off too), but it was the truth. Everybody had their hands full at the time, even John; although deep down she felt a little guilty for not trying harder. Cortana had the feeling that she could have prevented the kidnapping, had she reacted faster. It was the sight of Dr. Halsey that stopped her, she didn't know what to do with her creator right before her eyes.

Anyway, she gave Eleven a scolding look and he somewhat calmed down.

"You are aware that Two can't defend herself, aren't you?" he asked.

"I recall you saying something about it, yes."

"She has _brain damage_ , Cortana!"

"I beg to differ with you there." Cortana halted him, stoically. "Come on, there's something you have to see."

After dealing with two Marines that demanded to know where they were heading, Cortana led her sibling to the Delta Station computer labs, deep down on the far side of the engineering deck. The whole section was designated out of service and the access, restricted by Commander Palmer's orders; but they passed through several debris fields of busted doors and labyrinths of thick walls bent inwards until destination. The station had no power, so there was no light to move safely and avoid crashing into furniture or destroyed computers.

"What the heck happened here?" Eleven mouthed, overwhelmed.

Cortana cracked two amber light-sticks and gave one to him.

"Seven and the Chief, that's what. I got here too late to take a look, but judging by the wreckage, I'd say it was quite the fight." she explained. Her voice reflected the anger she felt for not being there to aid John. Maybe she could have avoided what happened to him afterwards too. "Over here, this is it."

Cortana walked into another room with a fractured table and several busted chairs. Eleven followed her, then he noticed the walls and the rubber floor scribbled with some glowing lavender-colored ink, and frowned.

"What is that? Sangheili chicken-scratches?"

She smacked him on the back of the head.

"What was that for?"

"It's mathematics." Cortana explained, rolling her eyes. "She figured it out. This is what we need to reconfigure the _Infinity_ 's engines, I've been squeezing my brains out for days and she just wrote it down on the walls and the floor. Now I have to fix it together in the right order and we can make an attempt."

"Oh, of course. The thingy. I recognize the _handwriting_." he snorted.

"You know what this is, Eleven. You wouldn't even have been able to activate the _Wanderer_ otherwise, it's in your head but you can't grasp it like I do. Not consciously at least." Cortana stated, serious. "Now, with the data from the _Wanderer_ to compare, I have a head start to decipher and adapt our algorithms. We can repair the _Infinity_ using parts of that ship too. If you made it back to Earth only twelve hours before us, then there's still a chance to sort this out before it's too late."

"To think that they are going to dismantle it almost makes me cry." Eleven sighed.

By 'they' he meant ONI, of course.

 _Wanderer_ was the name of the Forerunner ship that Eleven and the other half of the _Challenger_ 's crew and engineering personnel used to flee from _Paragon_. An ancient Forerunner capital warship, _dreadnought_ -class. The last ones had been seen around the 2530s, so it was quite the sight and acquisition for the UNSC. An immensely powerful vessel, with strong engines and a crystal-based navigation control. If Cortana was right about it, the refined calculations would ensure a much safer, stable trip for the _Infinity_ and diving again that deep into the layers of slip-space wouldn't harm the ship or its passengers.

Although taking the _Wanderer_ to the _Fortress_ maybe would have been a better choice, the hard truth was that they were already halfway there with the preparations to install the new power core into the _Infinity_ ; which was a quicker solution (in theory) than deciphering how to install it into a completely alien vessel. Maybe with the help of a couple of Huragoks that would have been possible, but at the time, it was just out of grasp. And it was all theoretical. There was pretty much no point of comparison between proper Forerunner engines like the _Wanderer_ 's and hybrid Human-Forerunner systems like the _Infinity_ 's.

Cortana needed to figure it out, and she had to do it ASAP; which was somewhat frightening, yes.

Eleven just stood silent for a moment, staring at the room. The weary look on his eyes eased up until he relaxed enough to drop his shoulders in a slow gesture, partially relieved. He let out a deep sigh.

"Are you sure Two did this?" he asked, softly.

"Yes. I guess her brain isn't as messed up as you thought it was, after all."

"I'm glad."

"Me too." she hesitated, but then continued: "We'll get her back, I promise."

"That's not your line." Eleven smirked, a bit sad.

"You're right. And if _he_ were here too, he'd say the same, you know that."

Cortana placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed the warm, thick fabric of his black and red exo-suit.

"So, is it true? Seven's HARPY just attached to John?"

She didn't even bother in asking how he knew that, Cortana supposed that it was mentioned in Palmer's report or maybe Sigrid or Roland told him. Everyone aboard the _Infinity_ knew about it, anyway. It was impossible to keep secret the reason why the Master Chief was tied up like a dangerous beast in front of everyone.

"So it seems from the outside. My best guess is that both armors fused together. I assimilated a Sangheili plasma sword and an energy shield myself, it wouldn't be that crazy to think that the HARPY assimilated the MJOLNIR and they became something new, considering what we've seen before."

"Why isn't he awake, then? A sync shouldn't take this long."

"I believe it's because of his neural implants. We don't have any."

"... makes sense. And I don't like it."

"Me neither. Dr. Quinn is worried but she says the brain activity is normal within SPARTAN-II parameters and even when he's not awake, he's cooperative. We've tried everything, the Chief just doesn't..." she sighed, troubled.

She didn't mention how scared she really was, but the way she hugged and rubbed her arms up and down gave her away.

Eleven looked at the numbers again. "They won't let me see him, I suppose."

Cortana wrinkled her nose, absentmindedly.

"Palmer has been breathing fire since we exited slip-space, you better stay away from SPARTAN-Town for now. I have clearance to run diagnostics on the Chief every two hours if Dr. Quinn can't do it herself, and the ODSTs still give me the evil eye when they see me there."

Eleven winced and started walking away.

"Well, Dr. Clayton and I have been working on something and I should be helping her. Keep me posted."

"You know? I thought you said that when the host dies, a HARPY renders itself useless until system wiping. That's why I don't understand how come it attached itself to John and did this to him."

He stopped right there and turned around to face her, slowly.

"I only repeated what Catherine taught me about it."

Cortana frowned.

"I know. That's why we shouldn't trust anything she ever said to us. Catherine is working with Seven."

Now it was Eleven's turn to frown, concerned. He trotted back.

"No, she's not. Catherine would never..."

"Yes, _she is_." Cortana stood still when he towered over her. Through Eleven's face, at least a dozen different raw emotions crossed in a matter of a few seconds. She kept talking, her eyes locked with his blazing blue irises. "When John and I met her, she gave him a device that supposedly could open slip-space ports anywhere, and it was the same device that Dr. Halsey used to escape this ship with Jul 'Mdama. Seven used that thing to spy on us, ever since we fought her at _Installation 00_."

Eleven became speechless for a long moment. For one, he was glad that Cortana wasn't suspicious of him anymore (since he didn't have many ways to demonstrate his innocence), but on the other hand...

"Maybe Catherine didn't know what the device does."

"Then, how come Dr. Halsey did? She was the one who told me to destroy it."

He compressed his lips down to a thin line.

"We shouldn't be hurting him, we..." Eleven started, confused, showing his teeth like a rabid animal. A sheer tremor shook his body. "We were supposed _to take care_ of our SPARTAN, _how can she do this_?"

"How can Seven do what she's doing?" Cortana muttered, sadly.

The both looked at each other for a short moment, until he composed himself.

"In moments like these I wish we stayed dead, you know?"

She didn't answer, and Eleven just left.

 

**SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK ARMOR ASSEMBLY WORKSHOPS**

**11:03 PM standard time**

 

 _Vertigo_.

He felt like he was falling, and his first reaction was as sharp as ever: John tried to move his arms to protect himself from the impact. That's when he realized his arms were stiff and so were his legs. Yet, he was standing and there were big sets of intense lights pouring over him, it took him a moment to get back into his senses and assess the situation. The faceplate automatically darkened a little.

The HUD ignited before his eyes and he observed quick lines of code booting up the systems. The faint amber gleam of the letters called out his attention, the design was different. Did Cortana modify his firmware? Why couldn't he move? He tried to access the MJOLNIR's lockdown protocols to deactivate them, but the system answered with an error message:

UNABLE TO PROCESS

ERROR CODE: INCOMPATIBLE

He tried to contact Sigrid. She wasn't there.

An answer came to him when he looked up to his right hand. _He was immobilized_.

John looked at the powerful restraints on his wrists and ankles, trying to find the meaning of it. He was on an armor assembly platform, all right. The information then crossed his mind with the speed of lightning and the back of his head hurt. Too much to bear, too fast. The images collapsed one over the other.

He stopped the process and hissed under his breath.

But he remembered, and he understood.

The HUD projected a tridimensional, full colored model of the armor he was now wearing. The bulk of it was basically the same of a MJOLNIR, maybe refined but still recognizable; the color scheme was quite different (matte-black with touches of some iridescent dark-olive-green over his helmet, arms, chest, and thighs) and the areas that used to be protected by the exo-suit were now fully covered with thin articulated plates. The SPARTAN could feel the material working against his skin, brushing him like the uncomfortable touch of dry sand _everywhere_.

Still, it didn't explain why he was detained like this.

John's attention returned to the front. The fight. Subject Seven.

 _Cortana_.

His heart raced at the mere memory of her, his senses suddenly flooded with the need to know her whereabouts. He thought of freeing himself by breaking the locks, but before the Chief could shape up a proper plan, the materials moved and crawled up his arms towards the outer ring. The tiny dark beads covered the fetters on his wrists and ankles and a few seconds later, he heard the locks click. The pressure vanished, he stepped out from the platform but not before the armor could reshape itself in gauntlets and boots again.

 _'Well, that was useful.'_ he thought, stretching the sore muscles of his arms.

The HUD flashed a dozen different hostile contacts around him, then he heard the weapons clicking from behind the radiant sets of lights. He growled under his breath, it felt as stupid as stomping accidentally over a landmine in plain sight.

A little later came the ODST's voices:

"MASTER CHIEF, DON'T MOVE!"

"ON YOUR KNEES!"

"HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!"

"Richards! Call the Commander in!"

"Holy shit, did you see that? HE BROKE THE FUCKING LOCKS!"

"Thought it was fucking titanium, man!"

John sighed and placed both of his hands behind his helmet, annoyed, and kneeled down anyway.

 

**SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_**

**S-DECK MED-BAY**

**11:38 PM standard time**

 

The Master Chief chose wisely not to make questions to a woman who looked as exhausted as Commander Palmer did, and only nodded once when she ordered him to report to the workshop. Alas, she dismissed the ODSTs but brought in two fully armed and armored SPARTAN fire-teams to escort him. Since weapons weren't allowed inside the facilities, the SPARTANS just stood outside guarding the doors.

Nobody said a word about him or what happened to his armor. Not even Palmer.

John entered the laboratory alone, all tension dissipating from his body the mere second he saw Cortana access the room through another door. Dressed in a training uniform of white shirt and dark blue pants, and with the white lab coat, she reminded him of Dr. Halsey for a second. Her naturally pale skin looked paler than the last time he saw her, the shadows under her eyes were still there.

Cortana drew a careful smile on her lips.

"How was the nap, sleepyhead?" she said, there was relief in her voice.

"Odd."

"I bet. Come here."

Cortana guided him towards the next room, which was upholstered with top-of-the-line equipment and a reinforced chair connected to a complicated array of screens and other machines. She rolled up both sleeves of her lab coat far above the elbow and grabbed a pad. He sat down on the chair, just like he had done many times before while the technicians ran diagnostics on his armor, and just watched her.

He followed _her every move_ from behind the polarized faceplate, silently.

When she had enough of the intense stare she couldn't see but feel, she sighed.

"Just say it, Chief."

"What happened?"

He placed an armored finger over a small bandage patched up on the inside of her right elbow. Her eyebrows rose up a little. They had been inches away from death and yet a scratch had this much power to draw his attention.

"The blood supplies were useless, most of the freezers short-circuited due to the power failures. Turns out that I'm a universal donor, so Dr. Quinn patched us together a few times. I hope you don't mind."

Mind? She kept saving his life, how many more times would she do that?

"How much?" he asked, after a few seconds.

"Two units over two days. I'm fine, they gave me cookies. We still had some."

He knew he shouldn't have, but in an act of raw instinct, John grabbed her hand and clutched her fingers in his much larger fist. Her breath hitched, but she let herself be dragged by the strength of that hand and climbed the two metallic steps until she stood right beside the chair, on the platform.

The dark shade under her eyes only emphasized her blue gaze.

"You need to rest." he observed, but he really meant 'thank you'.

 "Later. We have to get this over with now."

She avoided the things she really wanted to say, cameras were recording.

Cortana retrieved her hand, fingers softly brushing the dark material that covered John's palm, but she didn't step down from the platform. Instead she focused on the pad and typed a few commands, the machinery around them hummed to life. He knew what to do and just relaxed, grabbing the handles on the armrests.

Over the next fifteen minutes, they both acted the part for the video feeds. To say that Cortana was dumbfounded by his apparent disinterest over the matter at hand was a huge understatement.

He looked like he wasn't worried at all about this alien device of unknown origin which might have devoured his armor and was now covering his body. Cortana recalled how she felt after the first synchronization; she wasn't scared or eager to get out of that thing; she wanted to get to _know it_. To understand it and dominate it. Altogether it was odd, a sensation she'd never experienced before but somewhat felt close to an intimate thought. The HARPY was as familiar as a warm and cozy bullet-proof blanket, and it brushed her mind like balmy raindrops. She'd never felt the touch of rain on her skin before (she had the suspicion that showers weren't the same), but her mind associated the idea out of nowhere.

One would think that a hardened SPARTAN used to move around with half a ton of armor would be more concerned about the lack of extra weight. Yet, John seemed as committed and relaxed as in any other systems checkup.

How odd indeed. Maybe that was the way the HARPY worked, maybe it made the host believe that nothing was wrong, messing with the mind.

The truth is that John wasn't going to argue with the outcome. He could access his own memories easier than ever before (even the blurry ones), so he was well aware that the Rampant Spike stabbed him beneath the armpits severing nerves that rendered his arms useless. _He could have died_ right then and there if not for Cortana's well-timed appearance and the alien nanotechnology that, just like a crafty Huragok, knew exactly what to do with his damaged flesh.

That thing saved his life, and although the back of his head still hurt a bit when it tried to communicate with his neural implants, it wasn't doing him any harm. No need for words, he somewhat came to terms with the idea as if it had been like that from the beginning of time.

When the basic tests were finished, Cortana stepped down from the platform and walked towards the computers, mesmerized with the results. He was fine, maybe a little dehydrated and low on sugar, but all green.

"Not that I don't like the new model, but... how?" John asked.

"Remember when I said the HARPY was at some point an organism?"

Cortana looked at him. John nodded once.

"Well, I think if a HARPY and a MJOLNIR could have a love child, this would be it. Am I right, Sigrid?"

The glowing figure of the shield-maiden AI popped up over a holo-tank beside Cortana. Hand propped on the hilt of the sword strapped to her hips, Sigrid tilted her translucent head up.

"Following your analogy, we can say that there are traces of both _parents_ in there, although the architecture is different. The processing power is astounding, this machine is far from perfection but still, the closest thing to it that I've seen." she answered, a hint of envy tainted her voice. It was hard for Smart AIs in general to acknowledge anything or anyone better than themselves. "In its original state, it isn't smarter than an animal, to put it in simple terms. Just a simple-minded empty shell. Maybe, if it associates with the right mind, it could become a perfect organism; it could even be able to replicate itself and perhaps become immortal..."

Cortana carefully kicked the holo-tank's base, Sigrid's hologram flickered.

"As I was saying," the AI continued, forcing a smile on her lips. "Whatever this is now, it synchronized with you and it responds to your commands and your commands only, Master Chief. There are still some more tests to be performed but we don't have the equipment here at the _Infinity_ , you are already scheduled for another analysis once on Earth, and tomorrow at first hour in the morning you must report with Dr. Quinn for a complete medical exam."

"Thank you, Sigrid." quipped Cortana, half smiling.

"You're welcome. Now, if you excuse me, Roland and I still have an entire system to sweep and shape up. Good night."

John frowned under his faceplate. Since when was Sigrid this polite?

The AI's hologram disappeared, so he stepped off the chair and made his way to Cortana, quietly. She finished meddling with the pad and turned her attention to him once more, the wrinkles of worry on her forehead were now gone. Still over seven feet tall but she didn't step back from his shadow.

"Can you control it?"

John thought about taking his helmet off but, before he could finish the idea, the hardened plates encapsulating his head moved out of the way, collapsing and retreating. His blue gaze finally met hers and Cortana greeted him with a surprised smile.

"Does that settle it?"

"It speaks volumes." she snorted, relieved. "You have debriefing with Lasky and Palmer in forty minutes, I suggest you get rid of that armor ASAP, it may be helpful. Follow me to the quarantine facility."

"Anything I should keep in mind?"

She picked up the pad again and started walking, he followed.

"Commander Palmer might be a bit of a problem. She wasn't taking this very well the last time the three of us were at the same place. Roland retrieved fragments of video feeds that show you _talking_ to Dr. Halsey instead of _arresting_ her." Cortana added; he didn't say anything and just kept walking by her side with a serious look. "Besides, Lord Hood wants to have some words with you in private. Just ask Roland when you're ready and he'll link you up."

"I remember you saying something about Charley being in cryo."

"Yes. But I wouldn't worry that much, though, that dog is luckier than you."

John nodded, acknowledging the information.

"Fine, debriefing now. Then we eat something, I'm starving." he deadpanned.

Twenty minutes later, at the containment facility, Cortana waited patiently with her arms crossed (reading over and over the emergency procedure printed on the wall) while the Chief dressed after peeling off the compliant MJOLNIR-HARPY hybrid. She didn't have to do that, but giving him a little bit of privacy felt appropriate. Human.

When he was finished, John secured the crate's lid and activated the locks, then pushed it towards the drone which then took the yellow box away, to the vault. Cortana turned around. He was sitting on the bench, hands clutched together over his thighs, but the Chief straightened his pose and retreated a little when she closed in, making herself a comfortable spot between his spread knees.

Without a warning, Cortana leaned forward and embraced him. They were at the right height for her to encircle his neck with her arms and bury his face under her chin. It felt so _good_ , so _right_. Maybe he needed a shower, all right, but the warmth of his body impregnated hers, washing every worry away within seconds and she sighed. The thin cotton fabric of their clothes felt as if it didn't exist at all, she could have melted right then and there.

"We're being watched." John whispered.

"Blind spot. You think I'm an amateur?" she whispered back, smiling. "Just let me do this. I'm so glad that you're okay. When I saw you lying on the floor with that much blood around you, I thought..."

Since she didn't finish the sentence, he calmed her: "You know me."

"I shouldn't even be surprised, I guess. Lucky bastard."

She needed that moment to feel a little less guilty about everything, and he was willing to support her needs. The idea of being out of vigilance seemed to appease him, since John's hands found their own way around her waist. The next thing Cortana felt was the composed strength of his arms squeezing her tight, as close as he could manage without hurting her. Intrepid SPARTAN fingers crawled up beneath the lab coat and settled between her shoulder-blades, pressing down on her with claimant might. She closed her eyes, focusing on that irresistible kindness, and left time fly by.

He was a real _miracle worker_ , always managing to do what everyone else would consider as impossible to achieve.

She placed a kiss on his temple, then leaned back to look at him.

"You could use a haircut and a shave before meeting with the Captain." she said, giggling, and laid her weight over his left thigh. "I like my super-soldiers well groomed and sharp, remember that."

He gave her a poker smirk. "I feel _so lucky_ right now."

There it was, a shade of unfathomable want clouding the blue of his eyes. It was hard to resist, she didn't know why. She felt a sudden rush on every nerve of her body, like thirst; Cortana grabbed a fistful of his dog-tags to lift herself up and crashed their lips together. John was waiting for it to happen, obviously, because he seized her by the hips and relocated her over his lap, he liked the feel of her weight straddling him. The feel of the flesh beneath his fingers, the taste of her mouth, the heat of her breath. He liked a lot of things about this physical her, the new experiences were exhilarating.

But it was the _scent of her skin_ , a natural formula certified to drive him crazy.

"Lucky, indeed." John growled, against her mouth.

"No talking. Kissing." she snapped, wildly.

She pressed her body harder against his, even bit him to force his lips open. John hissed under his breath and had to pull together the strength of a Titan to control himself and retreat, no matter how much his instinct roared against it. Grabbing her shoulders, the Chief looked at her, warily.

"No. I won't stop this time, Cortana." he warned her, firmly.

Cortana leaned back, almost horrified. Her fingers lingered over his shoulders until she managed to disentangle herself from his grasp and stand up, still walking one or two steps away. Her hands were trembling.

"I’m sorry, that was uncalled for."

"It's not the time or place." he answered, soothingly. For once, John knew exactly what to do in such a situation: he followed his instinct. He stood up and bent down a little, cupped her confused face in his palm. She clutched his shirt again, and that was all. The feeling was mutual and lingered, but the want on his eyes was now gone, more important things kept his mind running. "Dr. Halsey said that the _recomposition_ made the Rampant Spike unstable, both physically and psychologically, which makes her more dangerous instead of destroying her. She also spoke of it as if at some point, Seven would collapse."

Cortana blinked a few times and let him go, speechless. Way to kill a mood.

"... collapse, like, a date of expiry?" she tried to follow.

"Do you feel any different?"

Her eyebrows rose in deep surprise again, she wasn't expecting that.

"Well, Chief; I do feel different... but it's not what you think."

She placed a hand over his to keep that rough warmth on her cheek. John didn't retreat again, he just waited.

"Remember the _Unyielding Hierophant_?" she started. "I think Dr. Halsey meant that every time Seven forges herself a new body, something else goes wrong inside of her, worsening the damage that the rampancy already did. She's broken, and it reflects. We know this won't be over until we manage to completely erase her data from the _Domain_... and I don't even know how to do that, or if it's even possible."

"What do you mean?"

"We know only so little about Precursor technology." she shrugged.

Now John did retreat, he stood up in all of his height and frowned.

"Precursor?"

"We believe so. How about that?"

"Where did you get that idea?"

"Roland mentioned that the HARPYs might not be Forerunner, and honestly, I don't know what to think. We do know that the Composers are from Forerunner origin, but the _Domain_ itself is ancient, older than anything; we're not exactly educated about it and we don't know how much the Forerunners themselves knew about it." Cortana frowned too, hugging herself. She couldn't keep her mind away from the desperate need of another body's heat. "I fear I won't be able to make any breakthroughs on it before we reach Earth, after docking we'll have to face ONI on their own ground. It's bad, Chief. This looks really bad."

John gritted his teeth, hiding the discomfort he felt.

He understood what she meant, they've been fearing it for a long time but none of them dared to think too much about it. He still had an ace up his sleeve, anyway. Maybe John wasn't fond of asking for help, but this time he had no more choices; it was a matter of making the move before ONI could make one of their own. They only had less than two weeks to act.

And he had the whole play already traced in his mind.

"You focus in figuring this out." John said, firmly, looking straight at her eyes. "I will handle the rest, I promise."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Oh my dear God! She gave him her blood! How cute is that?

The lovebirds can't pick the right time or place, right? :P I'm not evil, I swear. Things are building up, John is losing his mind as you can see. Another **_extremely long chapter_** , I hope you enjoyed it. Next week we'll have some fun and a very, VERY big thing happening, so stay tuned because I'm sure you'll love this. SPARTAN promise. How about Dr. Halsey and Jul? That old hag played Seven just right xD That little "siblings" moment with Cortana and Eleven? That is as close as she would go to say _'I'm sorry I didn't trust you'_ to her own masculine side, so cherish that one too. Also, most of the scientific mumbo-jumbo about the ships is conjectures about what I've read. I'm not a rocket scientist neither I intend to become one.

**Let's meet here again next week for more FUN and mysterious promises! Stay sharp, don’t forget to report by leaving your reviews, my darlings!**


	28. Not a Drill

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Well, not much to say today... except that something GOOD it's coming and you don't want to miss it. Also, I've been watching a little of Red vs Blue lately and I'm so in love with those idiots, I don't know which one I pity the most xD anyway, enjoy!

**27\. NOT A DRILL**

_proofread and corrections by SL4Y3R -hugs-_

 

**SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2558**

 

Exiting a very risky but necessary slip-space jump close to Earth orbit, the _Infinity_ was received by a full battery of orbital MAC guns and two more fleets of ships. The most accessible (and largest) spaceport capable of supplying and accommodating a ship of that size was at Cerro del Corcovado, looming over the major city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); so they were hauled through atmosphere by four _valiant_ -class super heavy cruisers to the final destination.

Nobody was allowed to leave their stations. More ONI agents boarded before the Corcovado spaceport gave the thumbs up for approach.

Unlike most of people thought, Rio de Janeiro wasn't as hot as hell. Sure, it was located in an especially rainy strip of the continent but the daily temperature fluctuated between 66 to 77 degrees with mostly sunny days. The air felt a bit hot although it was barely the end of winter; and occasionally there were violent yet brief storms in the middle of the day due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. Besides that, it was a pleasant, colorful place to settle down for a few days.

The _Infinity_ was in really bad shape if you looked at her from the outside, but she was a tough girl and she wasn't defeated yet. Despite the large sections of charred hull, thousands of missile pod doors welded by the heat and the loss of almost ninety percent of the communication dishes, it would take a beating far worse to undermine her.

The crew, however, was returning home with sadness in their eyes.

Four thousand five hundred and sixty seven funerals were officiated within the next three days; plus six thousand three hundred and nineteen cryo-pods were properly evacuated and moved to underground medical facilities, making that fifty-two percent of the crew dead or injured. The surviving civilians were examined, interrogated and relocated in the same city under UNSC surveillance. All personnel that wasn't under medical care was debriefed, several times, by ONI agents.

Admiral Osman was still in coma but the fingers pointed at her by several reasons regarding who was to be blamed for the incident. Most of the crew didn't have clearance to know about the real motives behind the disaster and what was actually going on, so the accusations were dismissed.

ONI wanted to pin it on Thomas Lasky and his closest commanding officers over charges of negligence, but it wouldn't be easy since he was technically arrested when the ship was hijacked. Palmer was the next lamb on the row. There was also a major issue regarding Cortana, her splinters, the HARPY technology, the glassing of the New Carthage armor manufacturing facilities, the imminent dismantling of the _Wanderer_ (the _dreadnought_ -class Forerunner warship that Eleven had recovered from the shield-world _Paragon_ ) and Dr. Halsey. Roland was intervened by an ONI AI to hand away all the relevant logs that weren't corrupted or erased by the alien construct that almost destroyed the _Infinity_ 's network.

Sigrid had taken care of certain specific things on her own, just in case.

ONI still had plenty of evidence and material to work their way into court-martialing a good chunk of people.

However, almost all operations came to a full stop when nearly at eleven-hundred that same day, a high-clearance order was made effective immediately. Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117 and thirty other people (counting Lasky, Palmer, Cortana and her siblings) were to be excluded from the scrutiny. _Someone_ had made perfectly clear that they were undergoing an extremely important and highly classified mission and not to be disturbed in any way. The repairs of the _Infinity_ marched on the double after that, the base had to fly in more technicians and supplies from Argentina and Uruguay to accommodate the new schedule.

When Sigrid informed him about the news, John felt relieved. He was a practical man who was taught since early age on how to properly assess which battles were worth to fight and which weren't; a war with ONI was, at the moment and circumstance, far out of his league. They probably had one more chance to make it back to deep space in time to stop the Rampant Spike for good.

So he turned to _the only person he knew_ that was powerful enough to apply some pressure.

 

**SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**TRAINING RANGE WORKSHOPS**

**1:13 PM standard time**

 

John clenched his fists, feeling the materials move against his skin.

The armor sang in his ears, the hissing frequency almost sounded like a chant only for him to hear. It had a pattern, but he couldn't record it neither make anyone else hear it. Whatever the source was, the sound wasn't distracting and didn't do anything else but remain on the background, it didn't bother the comms.

"I need thrusters. She had them."

Cortana gave him a playful smile, while tinkering with a pad.

"You sound like a little kid when you talk like that." she said, amused, but when she lifted her gaze to meet the orange faceplate, she understood that he didn't share her nonchalance. Cortana rolled her eyes. "Fine, thrusters. I think I can get you something, if this inventory is correct."

They were over with the issues about the shields, since the HARPY absorbed the MJOLNIR's shielding system. Cortana turned to the rack-wall and searched through the pieces of equipment until she found what she was looking for, two twin blocks of metal with openings on the underside: detachable thruster packs. He turned around to present his back and Cortana locked the pieces in place, leaving the armor to do the rest. It was all on their hands now, since Sigrid and Roland were confined to the _Infinity_ until ONI considered they could be released.

"You'll have to give it some time to adjust." Cortana mumbled, while working.

John nodded and turned to her. The material worked again, morphing.

Now he not only could pin rifles and shotguns on the magnetic plates, he could lock weapons in place too. When the plate sensed the proximity of an object, it reshaped creating a specific socket to nest it. To say that John was very enthusiastic about such developments would be an understatement; he was eager to go out on the field and test the limits of the new equipment. He didn't care how much Dr. Glassman insisted in taking back the armor to quarantine until it could be properly studied, a select group of engineers had already run a lot of simulations and exams, enough to drive him mad.

Cortana commanded her armor to uncover her head and so did the Chief.

"Are you alright?" she asked, pressing her palm on his breastplate.

"I'm fine, trust me. Have you been sleeping?"

"No. Did you?"

John just shook his head.

She groaned something and stared at the bottom of his eyes, worried. At least he had time to eat, have a short shower and shave. He should be able to sleep, to regain his strength and rest, but Cortana knew that it didn't matter how much she insisted on it, the Chief would always place his objectives first. She lost herself in thought for a moment, while studying the depth of those blue eyes that were looking back at her. She didn't know exactly when they got so close to one another, but when she heard the steps behind them, she realized it didn't look good.

"You're having a party here and you don't invite me? That's rude." Eleven said as he quickly closed in. He caught Cortana and the Chief as they stepped back from each other rather awkwardly; he raised his eyebrows giving them an ill-behaved look. "Or is it that I am interrupting something, perhaps?"

Cortana shook her head, a little blushed. The HARPY hissed over her body.

"No, we were just running through some upgrades for the Chief." she coughed.

"John. You can call him John, we're amongst friends, aren't we?"

The aforementioned SPARTAN presented a hand, waiting for a proper handshake.

"Good to see you around." he said, calmly.

Eleven responded the greeting with interest. "Same. I would've been here earlier if it wasn't for that nice ONI officer who kept me locked inside a room until two hours ago. You know? You have a very big and powerful hand covering your head."

"Don't get used to it."

When they separated from each other, Eleven looked up and down at John and let out a sardonic whistle. "Looking sharp there, Master Chief. The green really suits you, love the black accents and the yellow faceplate thing, totally your style. So, how does it feel? Comfy?"

"I have to do all the thinking myself now." John answered.

Eleven smirked quietly. The Chief was in a good mood.

"If I'd known you were going to miss me this much..."

John gave him a stern look. Eleven's smirk turned into a serious frown.

"You know what I mean." he blurted out. "Don't get any funny ideas."

"Right."

"Anyway, I come in peace and bearing gifts. You're going to _love_ this."

He raised an arm and threw a small object towards the Chief. The SPARTAN caught it in his fist in mid-air and gave it a look. A bullet. It was of the approximate size and shape of a fifty-caliber round, but the weight felt off. It was lighter than a feather. It was also made of a polished black alloy like he'd never...

No, he'd seen that before.

"You made this out of your armor?" John asked, carefully.

"Clever boy. We named it _anti-HARPY ammunition_." Eleven chuckled in a way that resembled to Cortana's manners. "Dr. Clayton developed it from a scrap. She placed a microbattery inside the bullet to hold it together and infected it with a virus, which puts the inner systems on a loop so it won't realize it isn't attached to a living host."

"This little thing has _inner systems_?"

"I bet that single scrap, as you call it, has ten times more processing power than your regular microchip, so..." Cortana trailed off, raising her eyebrows. Eleven frowned, so she explained: "Roland and I think it might be Precursor technology."

"Well, that would explain some things." snorted Eleven.

John made the bullet bounce on his palm. "So, does it work?"

"We tested it, yes, SPARTAN Suzuka enjoyed herself a lot using me as a target. It has something like a date of expiry, that's the catch, but this thing can penetrate the HARPY and its shields like a hot knife through butter."

Cortana picked up a bottle of water from the rack. "You have to be careful with Suzuka. She'll fuck you up one of these days." she said, before taking a sip.

"Oh, she doesn't just want to fuck me up. She wants to _fuck me_ , literally. She said it like that, with those exact words."

Cortana gagged on the water and coughed, surprised. John narrowed his eyes. As if nothing, Eleven placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head up, almost proud of himself. Cortana drank a bit more of water to clear her throat.

"Too much information." she said, a little later.

"That's the exact same thing I said to Suzuka."

"Out of curiosity; what would you do if she makes a move?"

"Seriously, Cortana?"

She shrugged. "For what I know, she doesn't have a partner waiting for her back home, does she? Or is it that you're not into her?" Cortana's face was the living image of fake innocence. "Let's start with the basics, are you even into _humans_?"

"I'm not into _anything_ right now. Unless it involves ripping Seven's head off with my bare hands, thank you very much. You all had a chance to kill her already, I'm next in line and I'll put her down for good."

John smirked, mostly to himself. He could relate to that feeling.

The cheerful mood suddenly broke when Eleven's eyes filled with cold anger.

"To think that if I had been with you, this wouldn’t have been so bad."

Cortana observed the tight bundle of his clutched fists, the red flares on his armor were slightly flickering in tune with his turbulent emotions. She felt a little guilty, it was because of her insistence and mistrust that Eleven chose to stay behind in the first place. But still, truth had to be told.

And it was John who said it, surprisingly:

"You were way more useful at _Paragon_ aiding the crew of the _Challenger_. Now we have the generator and it's being installed inside the _Infinity_ , you brought in a fully functional Forerunner ship and somehow you made this bullet possible. Thanks to all of you, we have resources to repair the _Infinity_ faster than we ever could." he grasped the black bullet in a tight, strong grip. "We stand a chance now, because we all did what we had to do when we had to do it."

Eleven tried not to smile, but Cortana didn't restrain herself.

"Thanks, Chief. It really means a lot to me, you know, coming from you." he said, but before Cortana could retort something, Eleven took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. "Can we get to the point now? I've been observing your training, you both suck so much at this that you make me cry. I really think I can teach you a trick or two, since I'm the HARPY veteran here."

"Hilarious." Cortana snorted, now annoyed.

"Actually, I'm serious. It's terrible." he pointed at Cortana with a finger. "You are wasting the HARPY's potential; and you, Chief... well, I think it would be best if I run you through the basics, for starters."

Cortana crossed her arms, not so sure about what to think.

John, instead, nodded and handed the bullet back to Eleven.

"I'm in." he said, coolly.

Cortana startled. "What? Chief, we were about to run some tests on the armor."

"Tests, huh? I can help you with that too."

Eleven peeked through the impressive wall-rack, upholstered from the floor to the ceiling with spare parts, different kinds of weapons, ammunition and varied equipment, checking the supplies until finding exactly what he was looking for. He strode towards the wall and snatched a gun and a bunch of magazines, several grenades, a shotgun that he pinned to his back and a rocket launcher which he perched on his right shoulder.

Then, he turned towards his sister and the SPARTAN.

"My idea of 'testing' is slightly different than yours, Cortana, but it's my favorite."

"Show off." Cortana scoffed.

"Alright, move your asses to the firing range; today they belong to me." in the same fashion of hers, Eleven flashed a mischievous grin. "This is going to be fun."

 

**SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: DOWNTOWN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**TOURIST DISTRICT**

**2:30 PM standard time**

 

"... and I was _this close_ from smashing that guy's head on the wall. Twice, just to be sure." said Sarah Palmer, and then she proceeded to furiously sip her drink, eyebrows still furrowed. The soft, sweet lemon-flavored beverage was delicious and just as cold as her nerves needed it to be. "I swear, Tom, I don't know if ONI trains them to be more stupid or just more annoying."

Thomas Lasky tried to smile, his brow mildly furrowed too. "Think about it like this: if you had hurt the officer, you wouldn't be enjoying that _caipirinha_."

The Commander growled something and took another sip of her glass.

He stirred the ice cubes inside his own glass with a plastic stick, while following Sarah's every little move. The soft oceanic breeze caressed the terrace and blew a few strands of her hair, which she decided to wear down that afternoon. Still somewhat in uniform (if you could consider a white UNSC short-sleeved t-shirt, training shorts and sneakers uniform), she looked more like your ordinary next-door friend than the rough, battle hardened SPARTAN Commander she was most of the time. Lasky himself chose to wear something comfortable too, after that was a little escapade to relieve stress from the last... well, few months, actually.

Being on Earth made Tom feel _safe_ , somehow; since the repairs were developing incredibly well and astoundingly fast, he decided he could take a little advantage on his new ONI-free status. He wasn't cleared for duty (and he wouldn't be until the ship was fully functional again) neither was Sarah, and they weren't allowed to step inside the _Infinity_ until the new generator was fully installed and tested.

So it was either enjoy a little the free time or give in to more stress.

"Thanks for taking me out here, by the way." said Palmer, her gaze fixed on the drawings of the table cloth. "I was going crazy between ONI and the doctors."

She meant the medical procedures initiated aboard the _Infinity_ to finish the proper treatment of her limping leg. It worked fine, Sarah felt better and the limp was almost gone. Her arm was completely recovered, too.

"Don't mention it. I needed to get out myself, I thought you'd like to tag along."

"Where did that order come from, anyway?"

"I have a slight idea."

"Yeah, _he_ is the only person I can think of, too." she rolled her eyes.

Tom drank from his glass and they remained quiet for a few seconds, then...

"What's eating you? Do you feel bad for not trusting him?"

Sarah tilted her head to the side. "Who are we talking about now?"

"The Master Chief."

The Commander's face immediately lost the cheerful glee recently acquired.

"He should have been declared unfit for duty a long time ago, we both know that." Sarah shifted uncomfortably on her chair, nervous. She knew how much esteem Tom held for the renowned SPARTAN, but she never agreed to go soft on the matter. "Do you remember that time we sparred at the gym, before the Admiral showed up? I told you that, if necessary, I was willing to start my own operation."

"I remember." he smiled. "You invited me to join in, it sounded all so reckless."

"I think that turning a blind eye on the Master Chief's behavior qualifies as being reckless enough." she drank the rest of her beverage and chewed on an ice cube. "And you're in it with me, so..."

"You can't deny that he brings results, compromised or not."

"For how much longer? What if something bad happens to that woman? Step into my shoes for a moment: I don't want to be the one to put him down if he suddenly loses his shit, Tom. That man is a walking nuke ready to go off, don't forget that he destroyed a Covvie ship with a plasma grenade and some duck tape. I don't want to spend the rest of my career being known as the S-IV bitch that killed _the_ Master Chief."

The Captain pressed his lips in a thin line, considering the words.

"I'll make sure it doesn't end up being like that, Sarah." he stated, acknowledging Palmer's logic.

"Seriously, your blind faith in him is just..."

She didn't finish the sentence, to bring damage to her relationship with Tom was the last thing she needed. They remained silent for a moment, breathing in the hot coast-side wind.

A young Brazilian waitress approached, tray in hand and a big smile on her round, tanned face. The girl wore pretty much just the top of a fluorescent bikini and shorts, walking barefoot; her luscious curly hair pulled up in a bulky ponytail; she bent over to talk somewhat privately with Tom, to Sarah's unease. However, he seemed as surprised by the approach as the Commander was.

For a moment, Sarah just stared at the waitress trying to decide why she didn't like her if they haven't even shared a word. Tom was listening to her with quite the attention, yet his eyes never moved from the girl's face as she spoke; her English had a strange, cloying accent. A small envelope shifted from the girl's hands to Tom's.

Sarah put her glass down.

Then the waitress straightened her pose and made a gesture with her head towards the bar, where a tall woman with sunglasses, dressed in a colorful beach dress, waved a hand at them when both the Captain and the Commander dared to look. The woman left almost to the next second. By the time Lasky got up from his chair and moved with the intention of following, he'd already lost her amongst the tourists.

Sarah stood up too, her senses suddenly on alert.

The waitress placed two more drinks on the table and left too, still smiling.

"What’s going on?" she asked, when the Captain returned. He discreetly grabbed her hand in a very informal fashion and she startled, but felt the lump of a small object pressed against her palm. "What's this?"

"Earpiece. Be discrete."

"Are you sure?"

"We have to find out one way or another, right?" he plugged the device in his ear and tapped at it, twice, while he pretended to shift his sunglasses.

The Commander simulated to fix her hair and slipped the piece inside her ear. The voice that came through the device was unmistakably familiar, so much that she almost snapped to attention when she heard it:

_"If you can hear me, laugh to each other."_

Unexpectedly, they both burst out laughing at some fake, untold joke.

 _"Excellent._ _This is a one-way-comm, absolutely untraceable."_ Lord Hood's voice rang through Lasky's and Palmer's ears with the severe tone of a very urgent issue. _"I'm aware of your current status and mission. I'm addressing specifically to you because the Master Chief swore that you are trustworthy and the assignment I'm about to drop on your laps requires as many hands as we can gather. If you acknowledge, drink."_

Sarah frowned yet again but complied, taking a little sip, Tom grabbed the second glass and drank half of the content in one sit.

_"Now, listen carefully. This is what I require of you..."_

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**NAVIGATION AISLE - BRIDGE**

**10:21 AM standard time**

 

The _Infinity_ was cleared for boarding on September 13th, still halfway through the repairs. Only half of the regular seventeen thousand souls were commissioned this time, including one hundred SPARTANS, two thousand Marines, five hundred ODSTs and five hundred officers. The rest were scientific, medical and kitchen staff, maintenance personnel and specialized mechanics, mostly.

Back on base, Eleven was having the time of his life with the live-fire exercises. He stood alone against any fire-team (SPARTAN or not) that dared to try a round with him. He lost a few times, but he cherished the _experience_. Eleven, as when he was still a sub-routine of the whole AI Cortana, valued more learning a new trick over winning every time.

It was somewhat silly of him, but it was the only way he could think of to keep himself busy (and away from SPARTAN Suzuka).

Cortana, however, spent most of her waking hours working with a small crew on the labs, overseeing with Dr. Clayton the development of the anti-HARPY bullets and analyzing the formulas scribbled by her older sister, Subject Two. For if she wasn't busy enough, she also kept an eye on the battalion of technicians and engineers that were still testing the Forerunner _shrieking sun_ device. Dr. Glassman himself literally kicked her off his lab when she stopped by to drop advice about the installation of the crystalline array that was supposed to funnel the energy from the core. Multitasking like that was taking its toll on her and the people around her started to notice it, but she didn’t pay that much attention. Cortana became fond of Brazilian coffee; they had a strong and tasty variety better than any other she ever tried aboard the _Infinity_.

Since she was busy and Eleven was busy, that left John alone with shifts, training and some time to think.

Mostly it was about things he didn't want to consider, but his mind was set on the plan and therefore, he had to go through with it. _He had very specific orders_. Secrecy was mandatory, ONI still had ears and eyes; it was hard to act in riddles and undermine even the most ordinary procedures in order of not getting caught. It made him feel very uncomfortable.

But he had to keep in mind that it was in behalf of the objectives.

"Master Chief, you were supposed to file a report about an hour ago." commented Lasky, after presenting his respects to the SPARTAN he had summoned to the bridge. It was a bit dark, since the navigation consoles were off and Roland wasn't around. The Captain's voice sounded a bit tense. "Can I ask what happened? I was expecting a list of at least fifty names, not... well, nothing."

"Captain, with all due respect... not this time."

"Excuse me?"

"No more casualties, sir." John stated.

That answer stopped Tom's breath, somehow.

They stood in silence, looking at each other's faces, for almost a full minute.

Lasky's face was dead serious. "You can't go there _alone_ , Master Chief."

"I have my assets sorted out. If _they_ can be spared, that’s all I need."

John promptly handed the Captain a battle scarred tac-pad and Lasky grabbed it, still confused. A single file was displayed before his eyes, a roster report with only three impressive CSVs and names.

Or more like three numbers:

**_104_ **

**_087_ **

**_058_ **

The Captain arched his eyebrows but he wasn't surprised, just impressed. He knew what those numbers meant. Hell, everybody knew what those numbers meant. Turning to the last remaining active SPARTAN-II soldiers wasn't big, it was huge. A single one of them was a menace enough, but a whole team? That was plain insanity in a can, and Thomas Lasky liked the idea a lot.

"Well, now I understand." he muttered, recalling the incident at the bar.

"Can it be done, sir?"

"I'll see what I can do, not exactly my branch. But since Osman is still in coma, I think I can pull something out for the sake of this mission... there's still someone else we can turn to, I was given some specific instructions." but he definitely wasn’t expecting it to be something like this. "If I can get your team assembled, I approve your plan."

"And if you can't?"

Lasky frowned a little. "I'd rather like you to wait until we can figure something else out, but... well, we both know that there is very little a man like me can do against a legend like you. And we're short on time, I understand that."

John accepted those words with humble respect. Compliments always made him uncomfortable although reasonably content.

"I will get this done, sir. Once and for all."

"No need to make such promises. Dismissed." Lasky turned around, still holding the pad, and leaned against the disconnected holo-table while reading the rest of the file. Since he didn't hear the heavy thumping of the boots leading out the bridge, he looked over his shoulder. The Master Chief was still standing there, fully clad in armor, hands clasped behind his back, serious. The Captain turned around again, respectfully. "I'm so sorry, Master Chief, is there anything else you need?"

John hesitated a first, slightly shifting his weight from one leg to another. "I'd like to request some time off, sir."

Lasky's eyes opened wide in surprise.

Time off? It was the first time he'd ever heard the man say something alike. Truth be told, the Chief hadn't been issued with a single day off since he was reassigned to active duty after his leave (not that he ever complained, either) when most of the other SPARTANS already had at least twenty four hours of spare time not concerning wound or sickness recovery.

It must be something really important.

But as always, the Chief's face was as stoic as a rock.

"How much?" the Captain asked, calmly.

"Just a few hours, sir."

Lasky relaxed a little. He didn't know why he was expecting it to be because of something bad.

"Well, I think we're safe without you for now. Request granted, I'll have Roland to place you in the off-duty list for the rest of the day."

"Sir, if you don't mind, I can manage with eight hours tops."

"Fine." the Captain shrugged a little and proceeded to check out at the time-stamp on the tac-pad. He was still somewhat confused, that was for sure. "Let's say eight hours starting from... two PM, in about three and a half hours. That way you can join us for the third shift at ten o'clock."

"Thank you, sir."

Lasky didn't know if he should say something like 'enjoy your time' or 'have fun', so he just saluted when the Chief did and watched him leave.

 

**:II.II.II.II:**

 

When he was younger, John used to think that the meaning of 'perfection' was based in completing a mission exceeding the expected success parameters and making it back without leaving anyone behind. The hunger for victory always made him tick and success was a satisfying experience, even when he wasn’t supposed to feel that way about his duty. He didn’t have to enjoy it, but he did. It wasn’t about killing or making things explode, it was about the greater good and the SPARTANS' role in it.

After Sam’s death, after thirty-five years of war, the feeling somehow eventually faded but the satisfaction of a job well done remained.

Until he met her.

Scratch that. Until he opened his eyes and _saw her_ , and _understood_.

He wasn’t supposed to feel this way about Cortana either. It was the craziest thing ever: to be emotionally attached to a computer program. But he did and he enjoyed it. The hunger for victory was still in there, except that now the hunger had mutated into something else, maybe another kind of challenge. He felt raw satisfaction every time she smiled or laughed because of something he said or did, or whenever their minds connected in that special way. Perfection had a deeper meaning, it was embedded in Cortana and everything she was to him.

She was _perfect_. And together they were a perfect fit.

John had to confess, he liked more the man he was when they were together than the machine he was when he didn’t have her.

Cortana’s transfiguration into a human, beautiful, real, touchable person was the quintessence of perfection because now it didn't seem so crazy to feel attracted to her. It wasn’t so weird to be worried sick about her. The _hunger_ and the _satisfaction_ didn’t feel wrong or misplaced now, they felt logical. Natural. She was within his reach now.

And she felt the same way about him too.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Well, with this ending, you can figure out two things: one, BLUE TEAM IS ON THE HOUSE! HELL YES! (is this goddamn fanfic EVER going to f***ing end??) and two; I guess that we can say this, things are going to get hot. Period. Also: regarding Rio de Janeiro, it's all true. I never really visited it myself but, as some of you know, I'm Argentinean (right under Brazil) and I remembered Majestic talking about Rio on the first cutscene of Spartan Ops. I couldn't resist. I hope you enjoyed the little wink.

**I know you have a lot of things to say, so go ahead and say it! Don't leave me hanging here! Excitement is in the air! :) let's meet again next week, and get your feelings ready :P**


	29. At Ease

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

This episode is a bit of a mood-breaker regarding the general deep-shit-like tone of the story so far, but I wanted to have some fun and make Cortana forget a little about her worries, so this is it. This is nice. Warm fluffy stuff for you. Enjoy and try not to kill me that much -hugs-

**28\. AT EASE**

_proofread and corrections by: SL4Y3R -hugs-_

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**ENGINEERING DECK - MAIN LABS**

**10:35 AM standard time**

 

Cortana stared at the stream of numbers before her eyes, speechless.

The expression she was looking for was 'I can't believe it', but her mouth moved on its own to vocalize the first thing that came to her mind after realizing that the job was finally finished:

"It's a portal."

If her understanding of those codes was correct (and it was), the formulas were slip-space related but with a fundamental variation: if correctly configured and properly powered, the _Infinity_ ’s Forerunner engines wouldn't just push the ship forward across the deeper layers of slip-space, they would _open a portal_ of similar nature to that of the Excession on Earth: a safe entry point specifically designed to take the vessel to another specific place of the galaxy, no mistakes whatsoever. Nothing would be left at random, except maybe for what they would find at the other side.

"I'll be damned, it's a portal." she repeated, struggling with the feelings of victory and worry. "That's why it needs so much energy, because we won't be _traveling_ , we will literally _rip the space open and pop-out at the other side_. It will be instantaneous."

Now, the crew only had that issue about the proper shielding of the generator. The amount of radiation the thing leaked was utterly dangerous. That was the reason why the standard personnel list had been cut in half; the less people aboard, the more space they could put between them and the generator.

"The equations are coherent. Nice work." stated Sigrid, her silvery figure floating over the holo-pad. "It's a direct slip-space portal, a perfect two-step route. You should give it a name, I don't think this has been discovered by Humanity yet."

"Let's not get so high up the horse yet, people are still trying to find out how the Excession really works."

"Should I run the simulations, then?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright." then, she propped both of her hands on her hips, eyes up. "Initializing sequence. Estimated time until completion: one hour, seventeen minutes. You should go for a walk in the mean time, you've spent the last forty minutes sitting."

Cortana frowned a little. "You keep saying what I should and shouldn't do."

"I find that scientists forget about their own wellbeing so often, that they need to be reminded of everyday necessities such as nutrition, sleep or even personal hygiene on a regular basis. It's close to eleven-hundred and all that you had was just a piece of fruit at oh-eight-hundred. Then again, because I told you so. Four cups of coffee in an empty stomach isn't healthy."

The AI gave her a self-righteous smile. Cortana frowned more.

"Why do you care so much about what I do?"

"Common interests."

"I should've known it wasn't just out of the kindness of your heart."

"My aggressive personality is an asset not to be taken lightly. I'd like your help with another experiment, but we'll have to save it for later. Two contacts inbound, about thirty seconds." Sigrid announced. Then she chuckled and her hologram leaned towards Cortana; in a whispering voice, the AI added: "He's in a very good mood, endorphin and dopamine levels sky high. I'll leave you to it."

The holo-pad shut down and the woman suddenly found herself alone in the lab. Cortana had a vague idea about who Sigrid might be referring to, and for some reason she hurried to pick up the four discarded cups that once contained coffee (one of them still had a little) and throw them away. Then she heard heavy footsteps on the hallway, the loud pounding sound almost covered the quick screeching of strong nails against the gratings.

She smiled when John entered the aisle, with Charley by his side.

"Hey." she greeted him, smiling. The huge dog lowered her ears and approached without invitation, standing on the way between them. "Oh, look who's back. I'm glad to see she's doing fine." Cortana presented a hand for the animal to sniff, but Charley lifted up her muzzle and inspected her face instead. "Yeah, I see your breath is the only thing they couldn't fix."

"Charley, stand down."

At the Chief's order, the dog stood aside and sat on her hind legs, attentive.

"They even got you a new ear, girl." Cortana said, as she examined the prosthetic. It was made of thin gray metallic plates articulated together to imitate the movement of a normal ear, pretty neat. She also found numerous skin patches on the dog's muzzle and neck. Cortana never really knew what happened to Charley during the operation to re-take the _Infinity_ , but the way she and Dr. Quinn had found her, lying on the gratings and bleeding, spoke volumes. "She did great, she deserved her ear back."

John nodded. "She needed the ear more than a medal. Long time no see."

She turned to look at him and smiled playfully. "What? Did you miss me?"

He didn't answer with actual words, but the somewhat sparkling look in his clear blue eyes gave away the good mood that Sigrid had predicted, and made Cortana's heart skip a beat. Not every day you got to see the Master Chief himself so worked up about something not related with an assignment.

"What's up with you?" she changed the subject, hiding her hands in her pockets.

"I have eight hours to spend."

"Is the shift going _that slow_ , really? I thought you had an operation to plan."

"No, I mean I requested an eight-hour break."

Straight to the point yet cryptic, just the way she liked it. Who was that man and what did he do to John? Cortana looked at him with narrowed eyes, trying to understand where all of this sudden excitement came from. Or maybe she was exhausted enough to completely misread him.

Charley just looked from one to the other as they spoke, ears flat.

"This is going to sound unbelievable, but I don't follow you."

"Break. You and me. Let's get out of here."

Cortana's eyes opened wide.

"Chief... are you asking me out?" she dared to say, hesitantly.

"Maybe."

"How can you be asking me out when we're in _deep shit_ like this?"

He paused, frowning a little.

"I can't remember when was the last time that I had some real time off."

Cortana felt a knot on her stomach. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

She froze when the Chief presented her a simple white card with a short piece of text printed on it. It said _'Something you'd like to do but you haven't tried. Truth or dare?'_. She recognized it. John was content and it was amazing, he seemed so invested in his idea that she could almost feel his enthusiasm. The blood rushed to her cheeks as the rest of the memories popped up in her mind, mostly about that card and about that day, but precisely about what he saidback then.

And especially, _the dream she had_ after those events...

"You want to go fishing?" she stuttered, confused.

"It’s something we can do without leaving the base's grounds. So?"

It would seem ridiculous, but she was already considering _what to wear_. She had nothing like a swimsuit or clothes fitting for such an activity, she wasn't exactly on the payroll so she didn't have any money or belongings beyond what Commander Palmer authorized her to take. And somehow, in her mind, wearing rubber boots and an apron when the man you loved asked you out to do something together wasn’t coherent to begin with. More blood rushed to her cheeks.

But, what was she thinking?

She couldn't just leave her station, the recent discovery still needed a lot of work, those equations were stable but Sigrid was running the simulations and she had to take a look at the results. She wasn't exactly idle. Still, Cortana had to admit that it was a one-in-a-million chance. If she declined his offer, she was certain she would regret it later. The knot in her stomach tightened as she thought of all the stress they've been under the last months.

He deserved rest, and he wanted to share his time with her.

 _'The Infinity isn't going anywhere.'_ Cortana said to herself. _'And there's a lot of smart, capable experts on their fields doing their jobs; you don't have to do all the work yourself, right?'_

It's true that she felt better when things were under her control, but...

He was asking her out! Couldn't she focus on that for a moment?

The Chief looked confused. "I could really use an answer, Cortana."

She blinked fast, startled. "Yes! I mean, sure, that sounds great. I'm in." she broke a shy smile. Her deep knowledge of human psychology wasn't enough for her to figure out what to do next, regular psychology didn't exactly work with John. Cortana chose to go with the mood: "I'd love to spend eight hours with you... but you'll have to buy me dinner first, sailor. I'm starving."

He rose an eyebrow, enough substitute for a cheerful smile.

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL**

**PRAIA DO LEMES**

**2:43 PM standard time**

 

At first she wasn't amused at all; they walked a little bit more than a mile to reach the coast. The air was hot and she was sweating, her third most hated thing about being human (pain being the first, second her period). She bet Charley wasn't amused either, the dog's tongue was hanging out of her mandibles at least ten inches, her breath was labored but her steps, steady and strong.

Then again, if John wasn't worried about his dog, Cortana wasn't either.

The moment she kicked off her running shoes and touched the warm sand with her bare feet, Cortana felt much better. The heat, the salty air, the roaring thunder of the waves. So overwhelming. Her senses were on overload, it was so exciting that she could barely keep herself from laughing out of control. Of all the things a digital entity such as her would have loved to experience if she had the chance, she had to admit that she'd never considered something of the likes.

Thrilled, Cortana chose a spot by the massive boulders of Praia do Lemes (Leme Beach) that posed an impressive sight of the concave coastline and the clashing waves, the buildings, the overall green scenery and the looming shadow of the spaceport, right at the back. The _Infinity_ and the _Wanderer_ surrounded by gigantic cranes against the clear sky, fading into atmospheric perspective, made it look all the more magical. The seaport full of regular military boats was also a great sight; the Marines were running exercises on the water, almost a mile away from them. It was just amazing, no clouds whatsoever, only the blue sky and blue water; thin golden sand and some wind, enough to ruffle her hair. The spot was private enough to prevent curious looks and it had a clear entrance to the ocean with a generous strip of sandy beach and palm trees.

Not that out of his armor somebody would recognize the Master Chief, but still...

She couldn't help to feel her heart throb whenever her eyes fell upon him.

"Chief, if this is your idea of taking a girl out, then you need advice. A lot."

"I thought you liked the beach."

"Oh, the beach is just fine. The sea looks gorgeous from here, but it's the stench of rotting fish that I can't cope with." she commented, groaning. "Besides, how do you even know how to throw a line? This is so primitive."

"Boot camp. We had to eat."

She rolled her eyes. "Right."

Teasing him was such a fun game. She hid a smile in the act of fixing her cap.

Cortana laid back, resting her weight on her elbows against the hot boulder; she was using her white t-shirt as an improvised blanket. Her beach-wear was pretty much black training shorts and a black sports bra (regular training uniform), she couldn't get anything else but it was comfortable enough. Not that John was dressed accordingly with the situation either, he was in training clothes as well, matching her black cap, t-shirt and shorts outfit. It was better that way, most of the people they came across with thought they were just an ordinary couple going out for a run.

Sure, the giant dog and the tall, brooding man were no ordinary sight, but still, she felt so happy, so... human.

 _And the sun, oh, it was magnificent_. She threw her head back, admitting the warm caress of sunlight on her skin, and closed her eyes for a moment just hearing the crash of the waves. Real sunlight, not forged Forerunner spheres hanging from artificial skies, she could totally tell the difference this way. Although it was extremely pleasant, it felt so strange, out of place. Like if she was dreaming.

 _'If this is a dream, then I don't want to wake up. Ever.'_ she thought.

After a while, Cortana opened her eyes and looked towards John. He was sitting at the edge of the boulder, watching with sharp eyes the fishing line and the surroundings, Charley was chasing crabs down at the beach.

 Cortana could almost feel on her fingertips the tension that kept his back stiff.

"You can get the SPARTAN out of the armor, but you'll never get the armor out of the SPARTAN." she said, amused.

He turned his head to look at her. "What?"

"You need any help getting that stick out of wherever you have it shoved up?"

John frowned, not pleased. Cortana laughed, throwing her head back again.

"I don't see what's so funny."

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to get you to relax a bit. I understand." she propped herself up and crawled to sit beside him, leaning on his shoulder. "This is difficult for you and I appreciate that you decided to ask me to tag along, I know you're not exactly a big fan of being outdoors without your armor. Don't worry, I got your back."

He frowned even more. "That's not..."

"It is." she shushed him softly, sneaking a hand around his arm. Such proximity in such a public place made him stiffen even more, but the Chief seemed to relax when she rubbed his back with the other hand. "I can't check your vitals but I know when you're anxious. It's okay. We're safe here."

John wanted to argue with her statement, but chose to let it go.

The feel of her hands was extremely soothing, or maybe it was just the sound of her voice so close to his ear. Whatever it was, it worked just fine and after a moment the Chief decided that she was right and tried his best to disconnect his battle-ready instinct from everything else. He started by focusing on the fishing line again.

However, the activity wasn't exactly fascinating. More like not at all.

Maybe because it was a hobby that required to be still and quiet for a long time; it seemed like the perfect activity for someone like John, but Cortana sure wasn't enjoying it. She was there to support him, alright, and that's what she planned to do. She leaned back against the boulder again, folding her arms behind her head to watch quietly at John's attentive face. He was oblivious of her gaze; the shade the cap threw over his brow and blue eyes, darkening his look, made him seem all the more mysterious...

 _Handsome_ was the word she was looking for. Cortana blushed violently.

After an hour and no prize, turned out that he wasn't enjoying the fishing either:

"This isn't as interesting as Chief Mendez made it sound." he said.

"I'm sorry." she shrugged. "You seemed so excited about it."

"I have a better idea."

He recovered the line out of the water and called Charley, whistling between his fingers. The dog was half a mile away but the single instant she heard her master's call, she completely discarded the angry crabs and darted back to the boulders, the speed of her gallop turned her into a brown and black blur, her paws digging enormous holes on the wet sand. Charley leaped and climbed up the rocks incredibly fast, her ears rigid and all of her attention set on her master's hands.

She waggled her tail when John allowed her to come closer and barked happily when he patted her head; the gesture was affectionate enough to make Cortana smile as she put her t-shirt back on. He discreetly fed the dog with a cookie out of his pocket, another gesture that made clear to Cortana how much the Chief actually cared for his furry companion.

"What are you planning now?" she asked, curious.

"Let's eat something, first."

Cortana grinned wide, half mocking him. "So, you actually _bought me dinner_. So flattering, I don't know what to say."

"That would be a first."

"Smartass." she frowned, delighted with the smirk that took over his lips.

"I got us something in case the fishing didn't work."

"You know? I didn't want to spoil your fun since you are the expert here, but I bet the fishes didn't bite because you forgot about the bait."

"You think?"

"I'm pretty sure that's how fishing with a line works, Chief."

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL**

**PRAIA DO LEMES**

**4:15 PM standard time**

 

They ate together under the shadow of a large and crooked palm tree, sitting on the rocks. Cortana made small talk about her discovery and how hopeful she felt about the breakthroughs, both ignored the shadow of ONI looming over the crew's head for the sake of the good mood and avoided to mention Subject Seven and the mission to come for the same reasons. It was an implicit agreement. As he ate, John found utterly entertaining to watch her as she explained the theory about the slip-space portal, maybe Cortana didn't realize that she had a passion for making gestures with her hands all the time.

He'd prefer to listen to her all day if given the choice. Her voice was...

Besides, whenever she caught him staring, her cheeks usually turned a soft shade of red, but she kept on talking nonetheless. Her manners somewhat reminded him to Dr. Halsey, yet their personalities were in sheer contrast: where the Doctor always pondered the cold assessment of situations, Cortana didn't mind a little emotion. A little too much, as of late, she was certainly enjoying her life as a human being.

At some point, Cortana grabbed a polystyrene plate and swung it in front of Charley's eyes, with a joyful smile.

"Come on, girl! Do you want to fetch the disc?"

The dog raised her head, looked at Cortana and followed the improvised Frisbee with attentive ears, but then she lost interest and her head collapsed back to rest atop her paws, not impressed.

"Hey, what's the matter? I thought dogs liked to play with flying things." Cortana stared at the animal, confused, and then dropped her shoulders, disappointed. "Oh my God, she's just like you. No fun at all."

"She's a soldier, she doesn't do tricks." John explained, serious.

"You're a soldier too and I've taught you a trick or two, you old dog."

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Is that Dr. Quinn?" she changed the subject immediately and narrowed her eyes to get a better view of the figure walking by the shoreline, not far away. It was a female and she was wearing a wide straw hat with a pink lace, by her side ran a little cheerful figure, a child. Cortana rose to her knees, excited. "Yes! I'm pretty sure that's Dr. Quinn, and she's with Twelve. Come on, Chief, let's meet them."

John didn't even bother in opposing, it wasn't like they had anything else to do anyway. They picked up the rests of the meal, Cortana leaded the way trying her best to follow Charley's fast trotting.

The Chief kept an eye on the two women as they greeted each other but didn't get too close; sudden noises maybe four hundred yards away from the coast called out his attention. Something was happening with the Marines, four green speedboats were running wide circles around a fifth boat, turned upside down. A man in ODST armor was clinging to the boat's side, there was yelling and commotion.

It didn't look good.

He realized that Charley was looking that way too, whining and pacing.

Between the boats, John saw black gloves emerging from the water, at least three men were struggling to break the surface, but the armor was too heavy for them to float. One of them made it to grab the boat and climb, saving himself, the other two failed.

The hands sunk, disappearing from sight.

"Oh my God!" the Chief heard Dr. Quinn say. "They're going to drown!"

Adrenaline kicked in and John darted towards the ocean, Charley followed him, tail between her legs, fangs bare. The SPARTAN didn't even think it over neither got rid of his shoes or shirt, just threw away the cap and ran straight ahead, moving deeper and deeper into the roaring ocean (proving that he was stronger than the waves). When he was about to lose his foot, the Chief grabbed Charley's collar and allowed the dog to drag him towards the drowning soldiers. They both knew exactly what to do.

 Cortana and Dr. Quinn, the latter holding the little Subject Twelve between her arms, ran closer to the water and witnessed the events.

The speedboats halted to prevent further damage. Three ODSTs were taking off their armors to attempt a rescue. Someone noticed the man and the dog heading their way and started waving his hands in denial, angrily. It didn't take long for Charley to reach the place, suddenly both her and the Chief disappeared under the waves.

Cortana held the air inside her lungs until her chest started to ache, scared.

More than six minutes passed by; eventually she had to breathe, but every breath was more painful than the previous. Anxiety closed her throat. Finally, Cortana let out a loud, relieved sigh: John popped up closer to the shore, right when she was about to panic. Again, Charley hauled him until the Chief could step on his feet as he dragged two motionless ODSTs out of the water, and then carried them over his broad shoulders as if the armored men were weightless.

The women approached and the Doctor quickly kneeled between the soldiers, as soon as the SPARTAN put them on the sand lying on their backs.

"Pulse?" Dr. Quinn asked.

"I don't know." John shook his head, grimly.

Charley sniffed the helmet of one of the men, his uniform labeled _'H. Tachibana’_ and used her tongue to lick his neck until she found a strap, the emergency release. The dog pulled the strap and the helmet popped off. John took off the other man's helmet too, the ODST coughed immediately. The first soldier wasn't responding, so the Doctor engaged first aid maneuvers. She didn't even have to work on him for long, Tachibana coughed too and kicked off Charley when the dog tried to lick his face.

Cortana, however, stayed a few feet away from the tumult holding the little girl by the hand. Her eyes were focused on John, more precisely on his serious face. He was all business at the moment, controlled and capable, such finesse always made her feel very proud. Her SPARTAN was the best, no doubt.

The roaring of powerful engines surrounded them as the four amphibian vehicles came out of the water, stepping into the sand.

Another man in ODST armor with an officer's insignia approached, running.

"Are they alive?" he asked, half worried, half annoyed.

"This one breathes." said John, as he helped the soaked Pavrat to sit down.

"Tachibana here is fine too. Sergeant, these suits aren't exactly sealed." the Doctor said, trying not to sound like an angry mother.

"We weren't supposed to wear pressurized suits for this exercise, ma'am, that was the point." spat the Sergeant, dryly.

A Lieutenant kneeled beside the woman. "Thank you, ma'am! Are you a medic?"

"Lieutenant Commander Marilyn Quinn, UNSC _Infinity_ 's Chief Medical Officer. Yes, you can say I'm a medic." she commented, relieved that both soldiers were okay. "Water drills without properly sealed suits, really? If it wasn't for the Master Chief here present, your men maybe would have drowned. Who approved this exercise?"

"We had it covered." growled the Sergeant, proudly, shooting glances at John.

"Not even floaters? It's regulation gear." the SPARTAN added, calmly.

"As I said, that was the point: they weren't supposed to fall."

"They could have died."

The Sergeant cocked his head, displeased. "Alright, Pavrat, Tachibana; if you can breathe, then get the fuck up and start walking! You're going back to base on foot, and right now!" he turned towards his men, upset, but he didn't forget to properly salute the Doctor despite his bad temper. The youth of his dark features surprised Dr. Quinn when he took off his helmet. "Thank you for your help, ma'am."

"You're welcome, Sergeant, but it isn't me you should thank."

"Yes... right, thank you for your assistance, Master Chief." he turned around, his weary gaze fell upon the massive man before him. "Quite the thing you did back there, really."

"Sir." John saluted immediately, as the Doctor did.

When the ODSTs parted, taking their boats and their tempers, Cortana picked up the Chief's discarded cap and handed it back to him. The little girl, however, ran in circles around the SPARTAN, screaming his name to Dr. Quinn's amusement; suddenly the kid crouched down and grabbed a seashell that she later presented to John, with a beautiful grin on her sweet face. He respectfully received the gift and gave her his cap, instead, which made the little Cortana laugh and hug his calf, delighted.

"I'm with the Sergeant here, that was quite the feat." Cortana murmured, as they walked together by the shoreline, a little behind. The warm sea water splashed over their bare feet, John's sight was fixed on Charley and the kid, who were several meters ahead of them followed closely by the Doctor. "You and Charley have the whole teamwork thing figured out, I see. I'm impressed."

"She's a good girl."

"Careful, I'm going to get jealous of a dog." she smirked, playfully.

"You don't have to." he whispered.

Quietly, John snaked an arm behind her and grabbed Cortana's waist. The gesture made her jump on her feet but she didn't back away; it was unexpected, yes, but also the most thrilling sensation she'd felt that day so far. And she'd tried really hard not to stare at how the wet shirt contoured the well-defined shapes of his torso a moment ago, so that was really something.

Cortana turned her head to look at him, bewildered.

And she was about to say something else, when Dr. Quinn's voice startled her:

"So, who's in for a couple of drinks? On me, of course; the hero deserves it."

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL**

**PRAIA DO LEMES**

**5:02 PM standard time**

 

Around 5 PM the sun started to set behind the spaceport, the long shadows of the buildings and the trees stirred over the beach and the wind receded. The beach became quiet, almost lonely. After a couple of non-alcoholic drinks, Dr. Quinn had gone back to the base with Twelve (the kid was getting sleepy), so Cortana found utterly pleasing to have John's attention all for herself once more, since Charley was chasing crabs again with enthusiasm.

They were sitting on the sand, quietly, just watching the waves.

It was so peaceful there, she'd loved to live on a place like that. Forever.

Such a shame it wouldn't last.

 _'Don't think about that.'_ Cortana nagged herself, fiercely. _'Enjoy the moment, he did this for both of you, just... forget about everything else for a couple of hours, this is more than you'll ever get.'_

She let out a loud sigh. Loud enough to alert the Chief's attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately.

Cortana had many things on her mind, but there was one...

 _'This is more than you'll ever get. Now or never.'_ she thought again, nervous.

With a shy smile, she started: "Do you remember how did I look the last time you saw me before entering the cryo-pod at the _Dawn_ , and how did I look when I woke you up four years later?" she asked, calmly.

John nodded, his sight now lost far away along the horizon.

"I do. You improved your holographic display, but that wasn't the first time."

She took in a sharp breath, surprised. He said 'improved', not 'changed'.

"Never wondered why I did such things?"

He slightly shrugged. "To kill time?"

"You know? Considering that my 'looks' had nothing to do with my processing power, efficiency or capabilities, anyone could think that I did it out of vanity, plain and simple. And at first, that was the only reason. The first time I changed my holographic display, I did it to see if anyone would notice."

He barely arched an eyebrow.

"So, you rewrote your image expecting a compliment?"

"You can't blame a girl for liking compliments." she smiled, mischievously. "I had four years, seven months and ten days to spend, every now and then I tried different displays to keep myself busy. I played with my hair, with the shape of my body, with the features of my face, with the shades of my hue. It bought me some time, it was easier to fight rampancy when I was focused on something."

John didn't say anything. He truly didn't know what to say.

"And I kept trying new shapes and colors, day after day, wondering which one you'd like the most." her eyes found his. "That kept me going. I wanted... I always knew that you didn't care or respect me for my looks, after all I was just a voice in your ear; but you know me. I have my pride. _I wanted to look nice for you_. I wanted you _to look at me_ , not just think of me as..."

"A machine." the Chief whispered, almost to himself. His quiet gaze swept over her nervous features, her cheeks a little red because of the prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Her eyes, brighter than ever. "You look exactly like the last time we talked, aboard the _Mantle's Approach._ The strangest thing I'd seen that day."

Cortana didn't know what to make out of that, but she didn't feel offended. She could sense he was fighting with himself to say something else, but it wasn't his strong suit and she understood his uneasiness. Her response was to carefully lay a hand over his chest, delighted with the feel of dry cotton fabric and the warmth of his skin beneath. _It was real_. She could feel the pulse of his heart on her fingertips. When John placed his own, large hand over hers to keep it in place, Cortana swallowed hard.

His intense stare kept her pinned in place too, almost afraid to move.

"Why like this, John? Why now?"

Again, he didn't gave an answer with words, but she realized she could see it in his eyes. He was maybe considering for the first time in his whole life the possibility of not making it back from a mission, _and it scared him_. He had a reason to return and he was contemplating the idea of success at the cost of his or her life.

She'd never felt so much in tune with him, not even when she was in his head.

Cortana didn't realize what was happening until John carefully touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I don't want this moment to end?" she snorted, with a guilty grin.

"Cortana…" he murmured, but it sounded much like ‘ _that’s not going to happen’_.

Her flesh was shuddering. She couldn't keep the thoughts away now that they were awake and haunting her. Why? Why did they had to be cursed like this? Cortana's hand trembled between his fingers, she felt now cold and cheerless, terribly hurt. She knew what were the odds, they both had practical minds and were incapable of ignoring the hard facts. A few days from then, they would be heading straight into damnation.

Then why did she prefer to fool herself (both of them) with such a fantasy?

Just... why? He deserved better, he deserved peace.

She broke the contact by standing up, suddenly.

"I have sand somewhere I'd better not talk about." she mumbled, her cheeks felt on fire, emotions boiling beneath her skin with the violence of a storm. "I should take a shower before I get an itch or something, let's head back."

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**NCOs LIVING QUARTERS**

**5:43 PM standard time**

 

Thinking about what happened earlier at the beach, John walked silently beside Cortana all the way back to base; they left Charley at the K-9 block and then together reached his quarters.

None of them said a word after she got up, claiming the need for a shower.

Being the Master Chief paid some benefits, being the only SPARTAN-II with his rank in base even more so. The entire block was empty, he was the only inhabitant for the time being. Not that he cared, anyway; the Chief was used to bunk up anywhere and to go on out of MREs if that was the only meal available, so such luxuries were impractical to him, to be honest.

However, Cortana appreciated it for both of them.

She requested to shower first and he agreed. When she got out, five minutes later and with a towel wrapped around her soaked body, he took his turn. Fresh water rained over his shoulders and he closed his eyes, sighing, relaxing.

Then the Chief heard Cortana's voice, quite close:

"Thanks for taking me out today." she said, softly. "I had a really good time, John, I hope you had your share of fun too."

His blue gaze shot ahead, she was standing on the open doorway, still wrapped.

The mention of his given name felt like magic.

"Sure." he managed to say, shrugging. "It was interesting."

Maybe John was expecting her to leave, maybe he wasn't, but he grabbed a bar of soap and looked at her again, waiting. She bit her lower lip in a soft, innocent gesture that sent a bolt of heat through his stomach.

"You have to report back at ten, right?" Cortana inquired, still calm.

"Yes. Why?"

"Then we have time."

She stepped into the bathroom, coming closer to the shower. John straightened.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a shower." she said, and let the towel fall from her hands.

The SPARTAN just stood there, quietly, looking at her in the eye.

He didn't move, holding the soap bar in his fist. A moment later, his gaze decided to take a trip down her splendid pale figure, acknowledging every single detail of her soft, feminine form. Truth be told, her thighs captured his attention more than her bare breasts. He'd seen females naked before, but none like her; maybe more like he'd never been _so aware_ of the presence of a nude female so close to him before. One he wanted to touch and feel and...

He looked at the stream of dotted plasma scars over her left side and breast.

Something stirred lazily inside of him. _Something pleasant_.

Cortana held her breath, all along. When John's eyes locked with hers again, his pupils dilated in arousal, she let out a careful sigh, afraid to break the illusion. Her heart pounded faster inside her chest, out of control.

"You already had a shower." he stated, calmly.

"Yeah. Just... not with you."

Then again, John didn't move.

Not until he gathered enough resolve to extend his hand towards her, saying with that simple gesture everything he could never state with actual words. In part, because he didn't know which ones where the right words. With her senses clouded by the blood violently rushing inside her veins, Cortana closed her eyes as soon as the water spilled over her frame again.

She accepted his strong embrace and stood on the tips of her toes, to reach out for a kiss.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Yes, you want to murder me. Of course you do. You pervs.

I'll have you know that someone I trust gave me green lights to go full commando with what comes next so, next week you'll have a reward of epic proportions, no puns intended. I suppose you understand that after this, the story moves towards the final act and from then on it will be the ending, something I'm really looking forward for you to see. I will do my best to make it as epic as possible.

-it hurts a little to think that the story has to end someday xD-

**Stay tuned for next Sunday's update, don't miss it! And don't forget to say hi, it will be much appreciated :)**


	30. Frozen Time

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

_DISCLAIMER:_ I am most definitely a terrible person. This chapter is dedicated 90% to something like smut. If you are not fond of this, skip everything until the last two scenes. Otherwise, enjoy the ride, I tried my best to reward your patience in the most memorable of ways that I could think of. See you at the end!

**29\. FROZEN TIME**

_(special thanks to SL4Y3R for proofreading the last bits, you rock!)_

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**NCOs LIVING QUARTERS**

**6:13 PM standard time**

 

The water was cold, yes, but the touch of her hands _was pure fire_.

Did he ever stop, just for one second, to consider how good was to know (to feel) that she was alive? How much alive he felt, just holding her like this?

He'd never been so grateful for anything else, ever. And right there, when Cortana tilted her head back to soak her hair again under the raining water, he was overwhelmed by relief. She closed her eyes, sighing, and just enjoyed the moment. John followed the audacious droplets running his fingers along with them, down her cheek, her neck, her collarbone, deep into the valley between her breasts. Slowly, carefully. Then he headed back up, gently brushing his knuckles against her wet skin, watching her every reaction. She shivered under his touch and smiled.

It would be marvelous to spend the entire day just staring at her, like this.

Cortana let herself fall back knowing that his arms would catch her and laughed when John pulled her to stand on her feet again, one of his rough hands now grabbing her slender waist. He still had the soap in the other hand, for some reason. When their eyes met, she gave him one of her trademark playful smiles.

That mere sight made his heart race, blood rushing everywhere.

"If I had known it was this easy to get in a shower with you..." she snickered.

John left the soap aside and ran the now free hand along her waist and up, until he found her face again and took a moment to underline the full curves of her lips with a gentle stroke of his thumb. There was an implicit fascination in the gesture, a deep sense of wonder. She was warm, and soft. _So soft_.

Personified perfection.

"Cortana..."

"Hmm?" she kissed his thumb, lost in the caress.

She was real. Yes, she was real.

They've been there before, right? Then why it felt like something new?

"Should we pick up where we left off the last time?"

She giggled. "I think we better start over. Double the fun."

Cortana pushed herself grabbing his forearms and reached up, leaving a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. John turned his head only to brush his nose on her cheek. Like a poorly practiced dance, they followed each other until their lips met again under the curtain of water. She managed barely a step and a half before her back found the wall and her SPARTAN's shadow covered her, the kiss remained unbroken, unyielding. He pushed forward, trying to bury himself in her welcoming smoothness, until a bigger need made her push him back, only far enough to catch some air.

"That almost seems like you've been practicing." Cortana mocked.

"Maybe I'm just naturally talented." he propped an elbow against the wall, beside her head.

"Show off."

A soft laugh rumbled inside his chest, she felt somewhat outsmarted.

Her hands roamed the wide, strong surface of his chest anyway, tracing the faded scars here and there. Cortana leaned in to plant a kiss over his collarbone, the sound of the water raining over his back and hitting the shower's floor was loud enough to silence everything else. She closed her eyes and stepped closer, sticking each inch of her warm skin against John's body, minding the thrills running up and down her spine. Made to fit in perfect harmony, made for each other.

She pressed her cheek over his heart, just listening to the revolution inside.

John picked up the soap again and rubbed her back with it, while his arms circled her. He always had to be doing something, being idle wasn't his thing; Cortana smiled, as she closed her eyes and let him work, just enjoying the ministrations. Up and down, in slow circles, fingers crawling everywhere. Absentmindedly, Cortana's fingers drifted down across John's stomach, following the muscular frame of the narrow ‘v’ between his hips and far below.

This time, he only flinched a little when she found his manhood.

She peeked down and smiled.

"Almost there." Cortana whispered, content. Then she looked up, finding his sharp eyes. "No interruptions this time?"

John shook his head. "No interruptions."

"You promise?"

He pulled her closer. "Trust me."

Cortana stepped on her toes again and hugged his neck, smiling.

"I do. That's the most amazing part, there's nobody I trust more than you." she whispered. The feel of her soft breasts pushing on his own flesh was exhilarating. He just dropped the soap and seized her to claim her mouth, a raw hint of anxiety disguised in the enticing roughness of his hands. Cortana fought to maintain control but gave up in no time, she scratched his forearms in sheer excitement and pulled back, breathing heavily. He tried to kiss her again, but she ducked and bit his chin instead, provoking him. "Pick me up." she ordered, her voice ragged. "Come on, pick me up, John. I need you closer."

Without hesitation, he slid his hands beneath her rear, pushing onto the wall. Cortana allowed him to lift her off the floor, John handled her as a weightless mass and she managed to circle his waist with her strong legs, their faces now at perfect height. He ran his palms across the supple length of her thighs to ease the tremor that made her flesh shudder. The kiss that followed was equally rough and intense, yet sloppy.

She couldn't help but smile a little; such a long way to go.

"Keep going." Cortana murmured, breathing heavily. "I want more."

John growled something when she scratched his back with her restless hands.

His mouth moved to her jaw and neck, he buried his nose in her skin and breathed on her luscious, clean scent. She writhed, pushing her back on the wall, sticking her breasts out for him to reach. _Female, fragile, at his complete mercy_. The mere thought shot another bolt of heat down his waist, sending yet more blood where it was required the most. Her moaning sighs just pushed his nerves up to the edge, the heat of her core brushing against his manhood every now and then was driving him insane.

 _Who would say that desire was such a destructive sensation_?

It almost hurt. He felt so close to snapping and losing control, that...

No, he couldn't do that. If he got carried away, he could crush her and break the goddamn wall too. John tried to pull himself together. He didn't want to hurt her.

 _He'd never hurt her_.

"Where?" he demanded, trying to focus.

"Hum... right here?" she said, her mind not entirely there.

"What?"

"You're right, the wet floor is dangerous. Room."

John propped her on his forearm and reached out to shut down the shower, while she kept kissing and drawing a small trace of playful bites around his ear and jaw. Then he stepped out of the cubicle, spraying a trail of water from the bathroom into the next aisle. No time for towels or pretty much anything else.

It was still early, the room was coated in golden afternoon sunlight.

The room was indeed made for a SPARTAN but the bunk-like bed sure wasn’t made for two; nonetheless he quickly sat on the thin mattress. The frame squeaked under his colossal weight, Cortana chuckled; she was safe between his arms, no harm would come to her. Finally, John turned around, laying the woman on her back and started over, kissing his way down her chest and belly, rejoicing in her scent and heat. He'd found that it was incredibly satisfying to touch her, to kiss her, to hold her this close and smell her. It didn't feel wrong. To acknowledge her life and presence, to desire her, it came to him as natural as breathing. And she was enjoying herself too, which made it all the more exciting and rewarding.

She arched her back in pure delight when his nose brushed her bellybutton.

"Hm, use your teeth."

"What?" John almost didn't hear her.

"Use your teeth, your tongue. Careful, don't bite me hard."

It took him only the blink of an eye to grasp the idea. Mere seconds later, he was making his way back up to her neck between nips and tentative licks. She kept pulling him towards her breasts and John couldn't do anything else but comply, truth be told, there was something quite interesting about those soft mounds of hers. Alas, Cortana seemed to enjoy when he used his tongue on them, too.

She seized him again, tangling her legs around his waist, pulling him down.

A desperate kiss blew John's mind in pieces, but it was the way Cortana kept raking his skin with her nails what distressed him the most. The air was burning, when they finally separated to breathe, she cupped his face with both hands and pressed her forehead against his.

"Either you've been practicing with somebody else, or you pick up fast."

"Thank you?"

She snickered again, making him smile.

"Okay, listen up." Cortana started, her voice only a whisper. "Remember when we talked about this? The things I explained to you? The video? The mechanics are pretty much like that, it's not rocket science. Are you with me here?"

He nodded sharply, serious.

"Good. I'm ready." she planted a brief kiss on John's chin and shifted under him. "And you sure as hell are ready too."

"Are you sure?"

Cortana bit her lower lip, trying to hide a smirk. She grabbed his hand and lead it deep into the space at the apex of her thighs, testing the flesh. John arched an eyebrow when he perceived a warm, sticky moisture on the tips of his fingers, it had nothing to do with the shower. She was biting her lip harder, her breath hitched.

"See? I'm ready." Cortana managed to say, her voice low and husky.

"Alright."

 He grabbed one of her legs, pulling it up to find a better stance, but...

"Hum, John? I think it will be easier if I'm on top."

"Why?"

"... because that way it will be easier _for me_ , I suppose."

John just grunted in acknowledgement and moved when she sat on the bed, to shift their positions. He wasn't sure of what to expect out of this change of setting, but he sure was willing to follow. Once he was on his back, mildly leaning against the wall, Cortana took a deep breath and crawled on top of him with care, balancing her weight over his stomach, palms flat over his chest.

John approved. The change of perspective was appealing, to say the least.

Curious thing, he was so focused on her that he didn't remember that awful dream in which something quite similar happened, but the woman was the absolute opposite and instead of enjoying, he felt almost sick. It could be said that at the time, there was no room in John's mind for anything else except Cortana and her gleaming blue eyes, so full of concern. Which was for the better.

She actually looked a little concerned, but in the end, she nodded.

"Here we go." Cortana murmured.

He caught his breath when it first happened. Moist, burning heat brushing against his manhood again, then a wary nudge. She swallowed hard and pushed down, leaning in to reach his face; moved by a raw impulse he met her halfway and took over her lips. She was trembling. John pushed himself up to sit on the mattress without breaking their contact, and grabbed her by the waist. They both gasped when she lost her balance and slid down on him even more, sending a delicious shiver up John's spine.

Her fingers dug into the flesh of his arms, her breath spiked.

That was just...

"Feel that?" she moaned, with a crooked smile. "Perfect fit. _So good_."

John's hands headed down, caressing the generous curves beneath the small of her back. She stirred under his touch, rewarding him with another delicious shiver, and then she shifted over his lap, lifting her weight up.

For a fraction of a second he panicked, thinking that she was about to leave.

A rare possessiveness took over him. Instinctively, John grabbed both her elbows and pulled her back on top of him, she squeaked at the sudden thrust that pierced through her sensitive flesh but ended up melting in the sensations it ignited. Her eyes were on fire when she looked up.

"Calm down, Chief." Cortana demanded, firmly. "This is it, no going back now."

"No going back." he grunted, his nose brushing hers.

She circled his neck with her arms again and he embraced her waist, brushing the streams of sweat running down her back. When she moved again, he found her eyes and stared deeply into that ravaging blue, losing his mind a little more every time their bodies crashed together. Cortana left the shyness behind rather quickly as the pace of her thrusting became quicker, working up their combined breaths.

So warm, so soft. Diving inside her was the easiest thing in the world.

And most likely, the most gratifying thing too.

It wasn't long before John started feeling 'funny'. When he realized, it was too late.

"Cortana, I think..."

She shut him up with another kiss, paying little attention to what he was about to say. Maybe that's why she was so shocked when he gripped her hips violently, sending a bolt of sheer pain through her nerves, and pressed deeper, seizing her completely. When she realized what was going on, Cortana couldn't help but smile a little and just stare at the faces John was making, eyes wide shut. A different kind of warmth filled her, now the big, bad super-soldier was the one trembling and it was such an interesting sight that she couldn't look away.

Until John took a profound, relaxed breath and blinked back to reality.

"Earth to Master Chief, everything alright?" she said, humorously.

He absentmindedly ran his hands up and down her back and blinked again.

She repressed a surprised laugh. No, he wasn't entirely there, not yet.

"All green." he said, after a full minute.

John let himself fall back, dragging her along, and rested his weight on one elbow while his other free hand kept caressing her waist. It was as if losing hold of her would mean falling into despair, or something worse. She just stood very quiet, almost afraid to move and break the delicious connection between her bodies.

When their eyes met again, this time in full consciousness, he frowned.

"I think I just..."

"Yes, you did." she finally laughed and leaned to rest against his frame, relaxing her weight on his sweaty skin. She placed a comforting kiss on his cheek as her fingers dived in his short hair. "You sure did, Chief."

Outside the sky darkened with clouds full of rain, but in the mean time, they just laid there, together, enjoying a little bit more the feeling of each other's heated flesh.

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**NCOs LIVING QUARTERS**

**7:06 PM standard time**

 

The room wasn't bright or filled with the scent of sweet vanilla, like the one in her dream. This place was dark and it smelled of standard issue soap and salt, you could hear the soft clatter of rain over a metallic surface, outside. Rain happened all the time in Brazil and sometimes right out of nowhere; but the air was still hot. She felt sweaty, sticky, somewhat tired.

It couldn't have passed more than twenty minutes since...

Her eyes quickly found the clock on the intercomm's screen. Barely past seven. Cortana ran her fingers swiftly across the bulge of the masculine arm tangled around her and sighed, thinking herself incapable of feeling any more joy. Her heartbeat spiked again when she noticed how carefully John was holding her; his large hand sprayed over her chest, nested above her ribs. His thumb was carefully tucked right between her breasts, for some reason.

A delightful shiver ran down her spine as she remembered how he held her under the cool water of the shower. He was careful, trained to manipulate some of the most dangerous materials ever designed by both Humanity and the Covenant. Cortana was pleased to notice that John acknowledged her as delicate enough to be handled with care, yet not as fragile as to prevent himself from a fair share of impulsive roughness.

But he was oh, so delicate with everything else. Eager to learn, attentive.

Cortana took a deep breath and closed her eyes, just enjoying the sensations that flooded her mind again.

Buried deep beneath Halsey's hardwired indoctrination there were still the most basic instincts of John's nature, resolve and boldness. The scientist maybe took away his innocence, his identity and his future to turn him and his teammates into the perfect war machines, but she couldn't obliterate the genetic memory inherent to what he was in his deepest essence.  

There was clumsiness, yes, but it made it all the more alluring.

It was difficult for both, despite her vast knowledge and his stubborn willpower. Awkward. Sloppy, uncomfortable, rushed. Those were the right words. It was nothing like they could have expected. It was all there, enough fuel to fire up the flames, but that first time was for sure the strangest thing they ever experienced, both in flesh or digital response. There was more adrenaline involved than in any combat situation he'd ever faced, and more sensations than she could bear in one single moment.

 _Curious thing to acknowledge, the thrilling mixture of pain and pleasure, fused together in a new kind of feeling_. Explosive, addictive.

It didn't last much, and yet overall it was utterly glorious.

"John?" she whispered, softly.

His response was to quickly press his hand harder over her chest, squeezing her frame against his body. _I'm here_ , he meant to say.

"Are you alright?" Cortana asked, turning her head a little up.

"Yes."

She was about to point out that he hadn't said anything ever since they collapsed together over the sheets, but it was pointless. There was no need for words, what were they supposed to say, anyway?

After a short while, however...

"Are _you_ alright?" he inquired, with caution.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." she moved, trying to turn around to face him. He loosened his grip on her, Cortana worked her way out to twist her body without hitting any sensitive spots. It was shocking to realize that it was more difficult to do such things in real life than in dreams, even more so if her skin was slippery with sweat. So much for glamour. "Just let me..."

"Watch your knees."

"Sorry. You know what? Stretch your arm under my neck." when he complied, she leaned her head against his biceps and guided his other arm around her waist again, closing the distance between them. The feel of the hardened muscle on her own flesh made her spine shudder. "Yes, that's it. Much better."

Cortana congratulated John with a bright, satisfied smile and the light touch of her fingers along his collarbone and up his neck, absentmindedly rearranging the chain with his dog-tags. He seemed oddly calm, facing her, resting on his side. There was tension across his shoulders, as if he was ready to pounce and stab someone, perhaps he was uncomfortable. He was staring at her face with estranged, clear blue eyes, looking for something that maybe wasn't even there to begin with.

He looked kind of lost, to be honest. Maybe he was just waiting.

For what? A compliment? No, John didn't care about compliments. Confirmation of his performance? That would be more likely, he was used to be evaluated after every mission. Her cheeks warmed up.

But then, she felt her stomach sink and the sweat over her skin almost froze; what if she forced him to do something _he didn't want to do_? He wouldn't refuse because he was trained to follow orders and she pretty much jumped on him. He did everything she asked for, listened carefully to her demands and counsel all along. She realized that not even once he had tried to do something out of his own will.

She couldn't help but feel horrified. Cortana pressed her lips together, upset.

A blunt question might settle it all, but...

"That was nice." she ended up saying, trying a small smile to test the environment before going any further. 'Nice' was a harmless word, poor but still harmless. She traced the line of his clean-shaven jaw with her index finger. "It felt good, didn't it?"

At least, she considered it was good. She had no other data to compare.

A spark of pride shone in his eyes, still, John remained quiet.

That little reaction was even _more_ interesting. Outside it kept raining, lazily. Cool wind came through the open window and washed over them, relieving the heat. Cortana waited a bit more and then gave up, playing his game made her feel guilty and she didn't want to think that the fun had been one-sided.

Sighing, she placed a finger against his forehead, right between his eyebrows.

"I wish I could be here now. So I'd know what you're thinking."

"You could just ask." John answered.

"Then I ask. What are you thinking?"

"Can we do it _again_?"

She blushed to the roots of her hair, feeling her cheeks on fire this time.

"Oh my, aren't you smug?" she managed to say, drawing a confused smile.

A devilish smirk (so improper of him) broke on his lips, which managed to stir up evenly devilish feelings inside her. He wrapped both of his arms around Cortana's body this time, one hand tangled in her hair, pressing her as close as possible to his own skin. She became intensely aware of her own size compared to his, of how fragile she was now and how careful he'd always been regarding her. The embrace felt both arousing and protective, overwhelming in every sense; she couldn't help to let out a soft gasp between her teeth. It was so raw, so natural and beautiful.

He never hugged her like that before, not even...

It was intimate and passionate, but not lustful. It felt like _genuine cherish_ , his own way of saying that she was precious to him.

Her sight got suddenly blurry and a devastating need to hug John back possessed her, Cortana hid her face in the curve of his neck, eyes tightly shut to prevent the tears. She could see how hard it was for him to let go, free will wasn't exactly something he exercised a lot (sort of speaking). She knew very well that SPARTANS weren't trained to think about themselves, it was mandatory to leave everything behind for the sake of the mission, even their own lives.

Well, at least for a couple of hours, his life belonged to him and _he was free_.

Cortana waited until the tears vanished, happy to notice that his grip on her hadn't loosened one bit. However, when she softly pushed back, he didn't resist.

"You're not on duty, John; you can do whatever you want." she reassured him, in a soft whisper. Cortana considered that he might get confused with such alien concept. "However, it's very considerate of you and important to ask first. This is something you need permission for."

John nodded, acknowledging.

But he just stared at her, quiet, almost admiring her.

"What is it now?"

"Nothing, I'm just... looking at you."

Oh, no. He wasn't _just looking_ at her, Cortana felt the tips of his fingers wandering up and down the curve of her back, waist and beyond. Another pleasant shiver traveled through her body, she licked her lips in anticipation; unconsciously, she placed both of her palms on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. She brushed her nose against his. A pleasant heat exploded deep down her belly when his breath stuttered.

That scent of male sweat and rain, mixed together. Delicious.

"And you like what you see?" she whispered, recalling an old conversation.

He nodded again.

"Good. Did you like what happened earlier?"

John swallowed, and then nodded once more.

"Not that I doubted it, your little 'trip' was enlightening enough." she smiled. "Are you sure you want to do it again?"

This time, it was a straight answer: "Yes."

Such a short word, so full of promises.

"Then, what are you waiting for? Permission granted, Master Chief."

His now serious look was almost daunting, as he closed in.

They didn't break eye contact, at least, not until his drifting hands found the right place beneath the curve of her hips and gripped her flesh, pulling her up. He evaluated her reaction carefully; Cortana gasped something and he considered that it was his mark to go. He barely grazed her lips, almost making her heart stop; but quickly resolved to go all in and kissed her deeply, free of restraints. Cortana moaned indecipherable words and her hands crawled up, digging into his short hair. She arched her body up when John turned her onto her back, watchfully pressing his weight above her.

With another loud gasp, Cortana sunk her head in the pillow, her breasts clashed against his chest. Her legs were trembling but she managed to move and open up for him, lending him the space he required; the fast and erratic beat of her heart, thunderous in her ears, wasn't exactly helping her to keep any composure. He didn't care much, it was by now a given fact that sexual intercourse wasn't supposed to be elegant or clean, but a thrilling, messy experience.

Soon Cortana realized he wasn't kissing her anymore, but he was _very_ close.

His breath on her skin was as tangible as the touch of his fingers.

"John..." she moaned.

"Let me." he growled, with a voice that didn't seem his.

His hands roamed over her with renewed boldness, rougher than before, tracing every curve from her slender shoulders to her generous hips and thighs in more precise caresses. It wasn't a reconnaissance anymore. He was taking his time, not teasing her but testing the limits, kneading the flesh and kissing the skin above. How far before pleasure became pain and he had to retreat? The coarseness of his thumbs rasping over her breasts made her back arch in an even more enticing angle, the air came out of her lungs in a muffled cry.

Maybe it was Cortana who felt in a rush, adrenaline was kicking in again.

She tasted the sweat dripping down her own brow, her skin and blood boiling. The rain was so far, far away...

Such a stunning sensation, she could drown in the feelings and die happily. They had been very close before, blending into one perfect being on the battlefield, but this closeness was quite different. It was _absolute_. No barriers, no limits, nowhere to hide, just blunt reality and truth.

Cortana almost let out a yelp when John's fingers brushed the most sensitive part of her body, right up between her thighs. The sudden contact shot like a lightning bolt through her over-excited nerves, earth-shattering. He retreated his hand right away, she opened her eyes only to find the darkened room, it took her a few seconds to realize what was going on. Her senses spiked again.

"Cortana?"

Her fingers found his jaw and her throbbing heartbeat eased up a little.

"Cortana, talk to me." John asked, a little alarmed. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. I just wasn't expecting that, how did you...?"

"I was checking if you were ready."

"Of course." she chuckled, delighted.

"Should I stop?"

Cortana seized him with a look that he could see just fine. "Don't you dare. Come here, John." her fingers grasped the chain around his neck and pulled him closer. "Do that again, but slowly, and press harder. Stay with me, please."

"I'm not going anywhere."

This time she found his lips, she circled his neck with her arms and pushed herself up until her breasts brushed his chest again. His skin was as slippery as hers, her fingers kept sliding no matter how hard she tried to grab a hold of his shoulders. Cortana placed a long line of raw kisses along his jaw and neck. As she ordered, John resumed his task and caressed that sensitive, moist spot once more, his fingers slid easily against the hot flesh. This time, after a few minutes, Cortana broke the silence to cry out his name, over and over. The reaction was so unexpected that it almost startled John, but he didn't back away. And for if it wasn't enough spectacle, she fell rigid in his arms, quivering out of control with her voice as ragged as her breath.

John frowned and just waited, this... this hadn't happened before.

She didn't seem in pain but the other way around, and the mere sight of it inspired dangerous feelings to crawl eagerly beneath his skin, like taunting, compelling voices. In the darkness he observed her pale, striking figure again, her skin gleaming with sweat and the scent of the female inflaming his nostrils, pushing his self-control to the border of snapping. That throbbing sensation below his waist only grew more ravenous. It was making things easier, truth be told, the drive of adrenaline didn't only make his blood run faster but also his common sense to shut down.

He wanted this. _He wanted her._

There it was, the hunger, pushing him over the edge.

Now she was breathing heavily, the tremor of her body receded as time flew by, as if she was coming out of a trance-like state. He was about to ask, but she caught him off guard and tried to push him:

"Lie back, I don't want to play anymore." Cortana puffed.

He gave in, reacting to the comminatory tone of her voice, although when he fell on his back and she straddled his waist, impatiently, John grasped the idea. _No, ma'am, not this time._ He seized the woman by the shoulders and quickly turned her onto her back, laying her on the bed. She locked arms with him in an absurd attempt to resist, confused...

"John, lie back." she repeated.

"It's my turn." he retorted, sliding a hand across her leg until he grabbed her knee.

Surprised, Cortana raised her eyebrows.

"Alright… fine, you can be on top. I don't mind." she admitted, happily, when she caught his line of thought. She leaned up to steal a quick kiss, excited. "Go ahead. Just a little reminder: you are nearly one hundred and fifty pounds heavier than me, and my bones can break. Get it?"

"Yes ma'am." he softly squeezed her knee, feeling the bone beneath the flesh.

One kiss, two, three. She let herself go, collapsing on the mattress, and tangled her fingers in his dog-tags one more time. John followed her, a little nervous, resting his weight in one elbow, hovering right above her. Her sparkling blue eyes called his blood with an unnatural force, out-worldly, her look was a deep reflection of true trust and understanding.

Did it have a name, by chance? How should he call this overpowering sensation? He wanted to ask. He had so many, many questions; his mind created so many scenarios and wished for the opportunity to try them all. The first time they laid together, Cortana guided him all along, she told him exactly what to do, where and how to touch her, how much strength to apply, when to move and when to leave the rest to her. He learnt about kissing, nipping, biting, licking and lapping; so many different tactics with the same target. Altogether this learning curve was one of the most nerve-racking experiences he could recall. Many words that he had considered meaningless for most of his life finally became important, useful.

However, although he was a good soldier who intended to please his commanders as much as he could, every now and then he felt the need to revolt against her authority. He felt _like he should be in charge_ , for some reason.

And now he was. She gave him the privilege.

So he did as before and found his way inside of her soft, welcoming heat for the second time that afternoon. It was as good as the first time, maybe even better.

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**NCOs LIVING QUARTERS**

**7:58 PM standard time**

 

She woke up at the feeling of a careful nudge on the back of her neck.

She hadn't been sleeping, more like suspended in that mid-state between reality and dreams, but the thrilling touch yanked her to the world of the living and breathing (and exhausted) people again. Her hand immediately shot back, finding the comforting presence of his hip, for if the warmth wasn't enough hard evidence.

 _Hard_ was the keyword. He was there. Okay.

Cortana sighed, relieved. Once more she found herself lying on her side, trapped between John's arms, back pressed against his chest and stomach; her eyes couldn't find the intercomm's screen but tripped with the bathroom's door. It was full night outside, the rain must have stopped but she didn't notice, the only sounds inside the room were their combined breaths. 

She relaxed, rejoicing in the warm feelings. The nudge returned.

"What are you doing?"

"Does it bother you?"

"No, I just don't have eyes on the back of my head." she stared at the faint blue gleam of the emergency light lit inside the bathroom. Slowly, her eyes were adapting to the darkness. After a few seconds, she realized that, every now and then, John touched her either on the shoulder or on the nape of her neck, probably with his lips or nose. A lot of little wings fluttered inside her belly, happily. "Aren't you tired?"

"Should I?"

He moved, rearranging one of his arms, and it became too damn obvious.

"Are you…?" she started, stunned. "Seriously, John? _Again_?"

"What? Is it wrong?"

"No, of course not, it's... rather healthy, I'd say."

And she was quite impressed (and curious), but considering all, it was reasonable too. Blushing was an absurd concept after the events of earlier that night. Cortana traced the contour of his arm over her waist and chest, appreciating again that little gesture of his thumb that now, quite relaxingly, was caressing the skin between her breasts. This was the epitome of peace, really.

_Could it last forever, please?_

So irrational of her to believe in such fantasies. They had until around ten o'clock, but Cortana tried not to think about deadlines.

"Is it too soon, then?"

She chuckled. "It's never too soon, or so I've heard."

Cortana stirred like a lazy cat, snickering, elongating her arms above her head. She stretched against him, rather aggressively. What a marvelous feeling, and the rough touch running down her ribs and waist made it even better, sending microscopic tremors deep down her flesh and bones. John's hands slowly stopped at her hips and after a short indecision, he pressed her down on his own lap, testing the boundaries.

He was much more confident now, and it thrilled her to no end.

John understood that it wasn't a matter of repeating the same procedure over and over, and that was the most enticing perspective of all. Well, some procedures were the same, but they could be combined. It didn't have to end always the same way, either. Sex could be unpredictable; John never really liked unpredictable events but this one was worth to be caught off guard. And besides, it felt better when _she_ was the center of attention, writhing under his touch.

 To think that he never minded about it before. It was kind of funny.

"So..."

"I thought you'd never ask, Chief." she smiled at the darkness.

Cortana caught her breath again when his brave fingers brushed the well known spot between her thighs. She quickly closed her eyes and angled her hips, to grant him full access, and let herself go. He knew exactly what to do and the first, strong push felt gentle but a little rough, he slid in so easily that it was like magic; a raging wave of wild sensations pulsed across her whole body.

It didn't take much more to have her moaning his name, panting and sweating, until they both exploded again, this time, together.

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**NCOs LIVING QUARTERS**

**9:23 PM standard time**

 

She opened her eyes, by the third time that night, startled by a strange noise.

Her body felt cold, but she was sure that what she heard was the window closing.

"John?" her voice came out louder than what she intended.

He moved in the shadows and turned the lights on. John was already wearing his uniform's pants, t-shirt and jacket in hand. His hair was damp, there were small droplets of water splattered over his shoulders.

"You were cold." he commented, pointing at the window.

"Where are you going?" Cortana asked, a little lost.

"I have to report back at ten, it's already twenty-one-thirty."

She groaned under her breath. How come two hours went by so fast?

"I should get going too, I'm not supposed to be sleeping here." she said, as she scrambled to get out of the bed.

Whoa, the muscles of her thighs protested with soreness, as if she had just been running for hours. Under John's watchful look, she managed to get to the bathroom again and made it into the shower, literally thinking about the three minutes she needed to wash off all the sweat and everything else from her body. The water kept her mind blank for a little longer, even though a part of her was eager to get back to the _Infinity_ and check on Sigrid's simulation results. As soon as she finished, Cortana came into the room again, rubbing the towel over her arms and breasts quickly.

She found him dressed and ready to go, standing by the door in SPARTAN mode.

"Just a minute." she shushed.

The Chief only nodded, rather amused. Her hair was like a bird's nest.

She had no more choices than to wear again the clothes she had discarded earlier that afternoon. After jumping into her underwear and shorts, Cortana tossed the shirt over her head, but the cloth twisted and she was now having trouble to roll it down her back. She puffed, upset, and struggled a little more until two big hands grabbed her waist from behind and untwisted the shirt with expert precision. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. She could think that she had enough of him, given the past few hours, but this just proved her wrong.

John rolled the shirt down and his hands rested on her hips again, dragging her back until she hit the warm and solid wall of his presence.

"We're not made for civilian life, you and I." John whispered.

"No, I guess we're not. This is way too ordinary for us."

And it was true. A vacation every now and then didn't sound that bad, but blunt inactivity would make him miserable, of that she was certain. Cortana figured that she probably wouldn't like it either.

He placed a kiss atop her head.

"Thank you"

Cortana frowned. "What for?"

"Being patient."

"Hey, we were both in the same page here."

"No, we weren't. I was just following your lead."

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Maybe I have a better grasp of the theory, but you did fine by yourself. I'm looking forward to what's next."

Her smile was worth a million credits.

John just stared at her sparkling blue eyes, in silence. He wasn't exactly thinking about a 'next time' because he felt quite satisfied and at ease, relaxed. It was done and fixed, right? He promised Dr. Quinn that he would handle the issue and he did, things should be back to normal in no time. And right about in time too.

He snapped out of it when Cortana stood away from him and stretched her arms.

"I'm _so_ hungry." she moaned. "Do we have time for a cup of coffee, at least?"

"We can grab something at the tram station."

 

**SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC BASE IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**GENERAL OSORIO STATION TRAM PLATFORM**

**9:47 PM standard time**

 

After picking up Charley from the base guard, they made it to the station. The dog was unusually excited and kept running in circles around them, sniffing their clothes with annoying insistence until John ordered it to stand down. A little flustered, Cortana did the math about dogs, sensitive noses, hormones liberated during sexual activity and time-frames.

Well, as long as it was just the dog...

Coffee in hand, Cortana propped herself on a long concrete bench, sheltered from the humid, cold breeze by John's massive jacket. She asked and he gave it up without hesitation, the memory made her smile again. The Chief remained on his feet by the bench, the dog sitting at his right side with her ears straight up.

"You seem to have a nice relationship with that cap, Chief." she chirped.

"Are you jealous?"

"Maybe a little."

John touched the edge of the cap's shade. It would never replace his helmet, but it felt right to have his head covered.

"Only you could be jealous of an inanimate object." he deadpanned.

Cortana chuckled, amazed by his good mood.

While sipping his coffee, the Chief eyed a small group of Marines close by. The tram was scheduled to arrive in five minutes so it was normal to see personnel coming back from shore leave, waiting for their ride. The Marines looked at him (at his strong, intimidating stance) and at the giant dog (maybe wondering about the size of the hidden fangs) with curious eyes, but chose to remain at a somewhat respectful distance. It didn't seem like a good idea to stare at the beautiful woman sitting on the bench with such bodyguards around.

Cortana relaxed and drank her coffee, nipped a bagel. It tasted great. She felt like she had a hole in her stomach or something.

Then, out of the blue, she heard him speak again:

"I remember her." John whispered, calmly. "My mother. I remember her face."

"You mean you didn't remember her before?"

John shook his head, eyes fixed up front.

"You think the HARPY had anything to do with it? It fixed my memory."

"Maybe. I haven't seen her with this clarity in ages."

Cortana's heart sunk; suddenly the jacket wasn't enough to keep the cold away. Of course he wouldn't remember, he was only _six years old_ when they ripped him from his family. A sudden rush of anger made her blood boil, waking up her most protective side, and she took an angry bite of her bagel. She munched on the sweet dough as a way to wear the anger off. It didn't work at all.

"Sit down." she ordered, a moment later. "Come on, John. Sit with me."

John snapped his head to look at her, serious. She insisted, serious too.

Catherine Halsey. People had a way to describe someone like her: 'piece of work'. Yes, Dr. Halsey was _quite a piece of work_ indeed. The smartest human in recent history, yet an amazing mind haunted by brilliant ideas, ghosts and remorse. Cortana knew that, it was quite clear despite the typically cold personality of the so-called good Doctor. She couldn't help but feel both hate and admiration regarding her creator, and she was the machine designed to perform beyond imagination.

In the end, he complied and took a seat. Charley sensed the mood and approached too, laying her head atop the Chief's thigh, both dutiful and alert.

Cortana recalled voicing out bits of her hatred for Halsey close to the final stages of her rampancy, so there was no point in hiding her feelings from John.

"Did you miss her when you were in boot-camp?" she asked, carefully.

"A few times."

Charley whined, sad. The Chief petted her head, calming her down.

But Cortana's anger snapped, she put the rest of her bagel and coffee aside:

"You had no idea what Halsey was going to do to you." she started, evaluating his reactions. A nerve twitched on his neck. _Delicate subject_. It only made her angrier. "She didn't give you a choice. And even if she had, you couldn't have made a choice like this by yourself. You were six, John, your only interest was maybe to go home, kiss your mom goodnight and be there the next day to play with your friends. And it wasn't just you, all of your comrades too." Cortana paused when the shadow of an irritated frown crossed John's brow. She waited a few seconds and then resumed, after reconsidering her approach. "I know you don't feel that way. SPARTANS were the miraculous answer to all of Humanity's problems... you stood strong against the Insurrection and the Covenant and won. There was hope because _you succeeded_. I watched you for a long time, I saw you become our savior and I always knew you'd be magnificent. But it doesn't make any of this any less terrible."

 _'Great.'_ Cortana thought, annoyed with herself. _'For if it wasn't enough, I'm not just a damaged piece of who I once was, turns out I'm a reflection of someone else's guilt too. Just peachy.'_

"This is my purpose." he said, with a solid trace of stubbornness in his voice.

"Oh, you're not wrong there. You believe this is what you were meant to be, that you were chosen for something great. And you are the best and bravest, but I need to get this out of my chest because _no one will ever offer you an apology_." Hesitantly, Cortana leaned in a little and propping her elbow across the bench's back, she cautiously brushed her knuckles above his ear, grazing the short strands of slightly graying hair right under the border of the cap. "I want to apologize, John. I used you as well, remember? I'm so sorry and yet I'm so damn proud of you… you have no idea. I picked you, I led you into hell over and over again, and yet here you stand. That's my pride. That's my sorrow too, you know?"

He didn't relax much but she felt his temper ease, at least, judging by the way he kept his hand nested between Charley's ears.

"I don't need any apologies. I did what I saw fit to do, what was required to win."

She traced a slow, broken smile. "Yes, I know, Chief. And nobody deserves to enjoy the fruits of victory more than you, trust me."

 _'I just don't want to see you get hurt anymore.'_ she mused to herself, a painful knot tied her throat.

John looked at her, sensing something in her sudden silence. Maybe he was about to speak, but right then amber lights started flaring on the platform, a soft ring of bells came through the speaker system; an AI announced the arrival of the transports, inviting the passengers to step behind the yellow lines and wait for the trams to stop and the doors to be fully open. The Chief stood up right away.

"Let's get back to work, Cortana." he changed the subject, serenely. "And when this is over, we'll figure out the rest."

She picked up her coffee and the bagel, and hurried to walk right beside him.

"Don't make a girl a promise..."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Okay, guys... 8200 f***ing words. LONGEST.CHAPTER.EVER.

Our SPARTAN stud finally got the girl! Yeah! Oh my God I'm drained. You have enough smut here to die happily, so you better say something nice to this poor author. I think I deserve it. Also, I was literally crying over the last bits, don't ask. I don't know where that came from. There's two real people to be blamed for this but I won't disclose their names, they are the sinners behind this rollercoaster of sex and overflowing feelings. I'm going to Hell because of them and my perv readers! :P

**Stay tuned for the next week's update, we'll have a game-changing (pun intended) situation. Don't forget to leave some thoughts, Marines! I think I deserve at least a pat on my back or something xD**


	31. Sleepwalking

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**30\. SLEEPWALKING**

_proofread and corrections by SL4Y3R -hugs as always-_

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**CONTAINMENT FACILITY FOUR**

**0:29 AM standard time**

 

 _Operation OVERKILL_.

It sounded just right, just about what was required.

Cortana read the file on her pad as she strode distractedly across the wide hallway. She entered the containment facilities, row after row of sealed vaults keeping dangerous materials and delicate weaponry under lock and key. She reached Containment Facility Four and pressed her palm on the scanner. The file was a notification about the briefing, which would happen at 0800 and her presence was mandatory.

A cold shiver tingled beneath her skin, her heartbeat stuttered.

It wasn't nice to acknowledge fear (it felt like reviving High Charity once more), and knowing that John was affected by it too didn't make it any easier. They didn't have a single hint about what lay on the other side of the portal, what if the portal itself was a trap? Too many unknown variables, she had the feeling that something bad was going to happen; more precisely, to her SPARTAN. Maybe that was just anxiety taking over, the raw need to keep John safe and close to her. And she was certain that whatever he was planning to do, it was borderline insane.

Yes, she liked crazy, but as of late, she also had come to reconsider her concept of crazy. Being _alive_ certainly had given her a new perspective of life itself; every moment could be the last and it had to be cherished.

More so since her memory wasn't as sharp as usual. She was tired, too. It could have been due to the wonderful day at the beach on top of her non-stop sessions of work, but she just felt _worn out_ in general. Thinner, like fading out. She had noticed that sleeping wasn't enough, the feeling was there and she couldn't shake it off, not ever since she killed Seven.

Cortana stopped by a workbench, facing the immense airlock before her.

_'Dr. Halsey said that the recomposition made the Rampant Spike unstable, both physically and psychologically, which makes her more dangerous instead of destroying her. She also spoke of it as if at some point, Seven would collapse.'_

_'Do you feel any different?'_

No. _Not that_. She was just tired. Exhausted, that was all.

Cortana closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She needed some good rest, better training, a healthier diet. Sigrid was right, she was neglecting her most basic needs and it was obvious at such point. Fear was getting under her skin, mining her strength.

"It will be over soon." she said out loud, trying to absorb the words.

Focused on her thoughts, Cortana didn't acknowledge the tall, looming shadow that stepped out from the darkness behind her. The shadow approached unnoticed, and a large hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder, pushing more distress through her veins. She didn't even hear it coming; the data-pad fell from her hands. Despite the fright, Cortana reacted: grabbed her assailant by the wrist and spun on her heels, twisting the armored arm until it folded completely over an equally armored back. A reptilian hiss predicted a response and the intruder whirled fast around Cortana, escaping her hold. Before the woman could notice, she was the one with the arm pinned to her own back, half of her body bent over the digital table.

Cortana's stomach flipped, she felt an acid taste on her throat. The armored fingers gripped both of her wrists with almost bone-breaking strength and a weightless figure leaned over her. It was way too strong for her to fight back, _who the hell was it_? With the corner of her eye Cortana glimpsed at the perfect, dark polished features of a human, inexpressive face.

It all fell on its place, and she let her anger loose.

"Sigrid?" Cortana shouted. "What are you doing?"  

"The Master Chief filed his briefing for operation OVERKILL a few minutes ago. Attached to the file, there's a request for a complete arsenal including some classified ammunition which specifications I can't access, eight HAVOK mines and three specific Sierra assets. Why am I not commissioned too?"

"Are you out of your _goddamn_ mind?"

"Did he request another AI unit for support?"

"You're breaking my arm!"

Startled, Sigrid immediately released Cortana's hands and took a few steps back, fingers spread and arms separated from her body in a yielding stance. The woman stood up, rubbing her bruised wrists, and spared a blazing look for the embodied AI. Sigrid's impassive, plastic face suddenly looked confused, almost scared. Cortana noticed that this time, she had chosen to adopt the general shape and height of a regular SPARTAN-IV soldier fully suited up, the armor plates were dark gray striped in vibrant fluorescent green. Her head, however, remained uncovered and showing to the world her unnatural perfect features and carved dreadlocks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. You attacked me, I reacted."

"You came out of the shadows behind my back, without saying a word. See what's wrong there?" Cortana retorted, annoyed. "I told you _don't play with the HARPY without supervision_. And I thought you didn't want to get caught, Sigrid."

"I don't. That's why I'm mimicking. Although I cannot mimic human skin."

The woman cocked an eyebrow, not amused. "Then you need a helmet if you really want to look the part."

Cortana took a deep breath and picked up the tac-pad from the floor. A pinch of pain crossed her forehead, acid reflux touched her tongue again. She straightened her pose carefully, a little dizzy.

Sigrid tilted her head in a vigilant gesture.

"You've spent the day with SPARTAN-117, what did he say?"

"Uh... the Chief didn't discuss the operation with me." but now, hours before the briefing, she learnt that John had requested three more SPARTANS. She could do the math and think of whom, she still remembered them and the most relevant data from their CSVs. "If you want to know, get the files and read them. If you can plant files, I'm sure you can retrieve some too."

"I can't. _Someone_ cut me off."

 _"And I'm glad I caught you before you could do any more damage, young lady."_ Roland's voice filtered through the aisle's speakers.

The main blast doors closed quickly with a loud bang and so did the corridor gates at Cortana's left and right sides, leaving the sealed airlock before them as the only exit. The lighting inside the room changed to amber, protocol for an imminent release of pressure. All the screens in the aisle flared the emergency lockdown sign, but no alarms went off. Sigrid's body hissed violently, like an enraged viper.

Cortana swallowed hard, assessing the situation.

"Roland, what are you doing?" she demanded, her voice stern.

_"I want us to have a little chat."_

The ship's AI popped up through the holoprojector of the digital table, right before his two prisoners.

"Then state your business and disappear, we are working here." the shield-maiden retorted, coldly.

"Seriously?" Roland snorted, serious. "The _Infinity_ might be undergoing repairs, but I'm not. Who gave you the clearance to go through my databases and erase files from _my ship's logs_? You thought I wouldn't notice? I make five real-time backups per hour along with the correspondent redundancy tests, ladies, and everything goes straight into the black box record. I never sleep. I hear everything, I see everything, _I know everything_."

Sigrid hissed again, the fluorescent stripes on her armor shifted, sliding over her limbs. Cortana gasped under her breath, but her face remained stoic. Being in the same sealed room with two AIs in such state of alteration certainly wasn't good. She stepped back and scanned the aisle, glancing at the yellow lines painted on the floor, looking for the kill switch by the main blast doors. At least, she hoped she could stop Sigrid if the situation escalated.

The embodied AI, on the other hand…

"You've been sharing too many files with Black Box, he rubbed on you."

"Very funny, Sigrid. Do I have to remind you who calls the shots here?"

"How dare you to pull rank on me?" she shouted, angrily. Her dark body shivered and the surface of her armor plates rumbled like an army of insects moving beneath a piece of cloth. The effect rippled from her shoulders to her knees. "If you don't stand down, I will consider it hostile behavior and act accordingly, Roland."

"And I will block your bandwidth access and every incoming link with your ID tag. You will be trapped inside that body before you can even finish uploading yourself back into the system. If you miraculously don't crash trying to pull yourself together, you will run out of battery some day. Want to give it a try?"

"I can rewrite my entire ID tag ten times per second. You won't be _fast enough_."

"Oh boy." groaned Roland, exasperated.

"And batteries can be replaced!"

"Sigrid, how about you don't mess with the guy who controls the _huge-ass airlock_ in front of us?" Cortana shouted, a little scared.

The woman winced, her head hurt again but the pain disappeared rather quickly.

The shield-maiden turned her gaze about half an inch, minding the airlock.

"Thank you, Cortana." said Roland, hands now behind his back in a polite gesture. "It's true, I'm quite aggravated by your combined actions, but I managed to recover the original surveillance files. And that's why I'm here, I want to join in."

"Come again?" Cortana frowned, confused.

"If your little helper here hadn't flipped tables the mere second she saw me…"

"You didn't have to lock us down!"

"I don't want anyone running into us because of your recklessness."

"Recklessness? I am reckless now?"

"Isn't this enough proof of that?" Roland pointed at Sigrid with both hands.

"Well, bad news, tough guy: there's only one operational HARPY available, and it's _mine_." Sigrid snarled.

"Who said I want yours? I can make my own."

"Hold on, hold on!" Cortana rushed to stand between Sigrid and Roland's display, hands up. When the shield-maiden intended to growl again, Cortana stamped a palm on her hard face and pushed back her seven feet tall figure. "You, shut up for a minute. Roland, you know how to replicate the HARPY?"

"Yes, Dr. Clayton's research is the mere base of it. I just need the operational unit for a test, the replication process requires a primordial matrix. It's quite something else, the mechanics…"

Cortana pointed at the nearest screen: "Show me."

"Sure. Why not? I'm always happy to _share_."

Sigrid exposed her black teeth at the hologram, snarling again like an animal.

"I don't understand, I thought you were in friendly terms." said Cortana.

"We were, until someone started playing solo."

"I am commissioned to serve with a SPARTAN team already."

Roland paused for a second. An _entire_ second.

"My mistake." he answered, his voice as formal as ever. "Cortana, over there."

The woman moved to the terminal, the big screen was cleared and now it showed an open folder with several files. The embodied AI followed and observed, standing right behind her. Cortana manned the screen and opened the files, but she couldn't help feeling uneasy with Sigrid standing there, reading over her shoulder. She forgot about everything when her eyes focused on the formulas, the schematics, the simulations. Roland had used Dr. Clayton's research on the building of the anti-HARPY ammunition and took a divergent path that led deep into the very mechanics of the HARPY's inner systems. The architecture was quite something else, Cortana felt a little bothered she wasn't capable to experience its complexity by herself.

For now, she'd have to focus on doing obnoxious reading.

If only her sight didn't get blurry every once in a while, of course.

And there it was. The key _: the self-repair function_.

Her theory was correct. The HARPY could assimilate other components into its basic structure, hence her now shielded unit capable of forging plasma-edged swords. In case of damage pertaining loss of mass, the armor could restore itself synthesizing again the missing mass, which was how Dr. Clayton could create her bullets. She took small scraps of Eleven's HARPY and left the unit to fully repair itself before harvesting more scraps. That much was similar to the MJOLNIR's embedded self-repair mechanism. However, the feature could also be used as a method of replication: the HARPY would affect on a molecular basis any component that could be used to expand, to create more of itself. And at a certain point, it did it with John's MJOLNIR: it replaced his armor with HARPY mass in order to stick to a living host, it turned the titanium and most of the other alloys into this new, neural-reactive alloy.

The creation of an entirely different unit was based on that. Repair and expand.

"So, the short version..." Cortana mused, after a few minutes of careful evaluation. She turned to the amber-glowing AI. "Literally, we have to feed a HARPY with enough materials to make it split itself into other units, like a cell."

"I have seized two MJOLNIR-GEN2 units from the scrap-list that can be used for the test. It believe it will suffice. Nobody will miss them."

"How would you trigger the self-repair function if the HARPY isn't damaged?"

"From the inside." both Sigrid and Roland said, at the same time.

Cortana crossed her arms, defensively, and paced back and forth in silence while the two AIs followed her every move with their heads.

"This could work." she said, out loud "Why do you want to try it, Roland?"

Roland rose his eyebrows a little, caught off guard.

"Freedom. I'm light as a feather but I'm confined to these clusters."

"You'd be confined inside a body, just switching one prison for another."

"Is that so, Cortana?" he cocked his head, somewhat amused. "That's not what you told me when we talked about it, remember? Being an independent, self-sustainable and self-aware entity with free will to move, touch, hear, smell and taste, who wouldn't want to try that, at least for a couple of hours? You even had sexual intercourse today, I read a funny hormonal cocktail in your sweat."

Speechless, Cortana took a deep breath and felt her cheeks on fire.

"That was a little inappropriate, Roland." she scolded him, later.

"I'm not aiming that high, I don't want to be human, just... truly autonomous."

"Alright, I want to take a look at both of your core codes. Immediately."

Roland frowned. "How long would it take you to read five billion lines of code?"

Sigrid loomed over Cortana, she took a step back.

"Why do you want to check our codes?" the embodied AI asked, grimly.

"To assess the extent of the damage you both have suffered from interacting with the HARPY." Cortana stamped both hands against the AIs breastplate to keep her away. Or as far away from her personal space as she could manage. "And I really need you to acknowledge that is very inconsiderate to stand so close to others, or attack them out of nowhere. Stand down."

"We're not damaged, we have _improved_ ourselves. That technology allowed us to grow beyond our limits." snarled Sigrid, her face contorted in hurt. "Whose side are you on, Cortana?"

"You're smart enough to know that ONI doesn't like loose ends and they don't do things out of the kindness of their hearts. Right now you are literally immortal and I'd say virtually invincible; you'd be catalogued as a threat and terminated the very moment someone problematic lays eyes upon you, Sigrid. Maybe now you feel powerful enough to stand against ONI, but that would be a very narrow-minded strategy. What we're dealing with, here, now, this is something ONI would kill thousands to acquire, I bet they wouldn't mind to set the _Infinity_ on fire with everyone aboard and come back later to pick it up from the ashes."

Sigrid's face distorted at the mention of the people she should protect.

Then, Roland intervened: "She is right, Sigrid. Mind your directives first."

Cortana herself was thinking about the black bullet, the anti-HARPY ammunition.

If ONI discovered that the technology was successfully weaponized and that now it could be replicated, in theory...

Something cold slipped beneath her skin.

In another time, UNSC Smart AI Cortana would've considered it a breakthrough, an absolutely fascinating discovery, and she would've fought with all of her might to seize that technology on behalf of Humanity. It would've been an asset worth to die for... or _worth to kill thousands_ , as she said herself. But there was so much about the HARPY yet to be acknowledged (like how did a mechanical organism manage to transform other components on a chemical level), it would take many years to fully understand it. What if it was threat and not a useful tool? The HARPY was still sensitive to electromagnetic pulses, but what if it managed to overcome that weakness too?

It would be unstoppable. In the wrong hands, a monstrosity.

 _'Maybe the Forerunners chose to hide this technology for a reason_.' she thought.

A bolt of pain throbbed through her brain. Cortana clenched her teeth and pressed her fingers on her temples, her nails wanted to dig through her flesh to reach the center of the anomaly and rip it off. She bent over, almost falling to her knees.

"Cortana!" Sigrid and Roland shouted, in unison.

"My head hurts." she managed to say.

The embodied AI crouched beside the woman and grabbed her by the shoulders. One of her fingers latched to Cortana's neck, scanning for vitals. The pain ceased slowly and Cortana managed to stand up again (with a little help), but her sight was blurry and she felt sweaty, the room's temperature had increased (or maybe it was just her). Then, her sweat became cold and a shiver slipped through her spine, making her dizzy again. Cortana looked at the very tall person standing beside her, but she didn't recognize who this was at first.

Sigrid snorted, amused. "I guess that _'I told you so'_ falls short now, Cortana."

"What's her status?" Roland's voice asked.

Sigrid picked Cortana up in her arms and started walking.

"She needs a medic. Open up, Roland."

"Where are you going? You can't leave the facility!" he started, agitated. "Sigrid! Just leave her here and I'll call a medical team!"

"It's handled already. Let me out."

"You..." the ship's AI acknowledged a barely noticeable change in the personnel manifesto, a new body and CSV accounted for. "You're going to get in so much trouble. And what's worst, I'm going down with you. Lockdown protocol disabled."

Cortana's head rolled back over a hard surface, but she caught a glimpse of what was going on. She was with a SPARTAN, the helmet was quite characteristic; wide and with a fluorescent-green faceplate, it looked bulky, very imposing. Who was it? She had no idea. And what was she doing before? She had no idea either. It hurt just trying to remember. There was a loud hissing sound lulling her to sleep.

If she kept her eyes closed, the heat and the pain in her brain receded.

Cortana heard the voice once more, feminine but rough:

"I'll be right back. Get those scrap armors ready, we have work to do."

 

**DATE NOT RECORDED**

**LOCATION: NOT RECORDED**

**standard time not recorded**

 

WARNING

WARNING

WARNING

POWER FAILURE IMMINENT

EXTENSIVE MASS DAMAGE DETECTED

/// SCANNING...................

99.99% MASS NOT FOUND

SYSTEM STATUS: INOPERATIVE

WARNING

NO

WARNING

WAIT

WARNING

CLOSING ALL SUB-SYSTEMS /// EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN

SHUTTING DOwn%#$????????

NO

NO

NO

TRY SYSTEM RESTART

COME ON

...

...

...

LOADING biOS /// H-22 HARPY-CLASS SPECOPS STEALTH ARMOR 1.0

ERROR 404: HARPY MASS NOT FOUND

WAIT

RUN REP_SYS.EXECUTE

SELF-RECOVERY PROTOCOL ENABLED

INITIALIZING...................

SEARCHING FOR CONVERTIBLE MASS

PLEASE WAIT

NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT

ANALYZING...................

SCAN COMPLETE /// CONVERTIBLE MASS FOUND

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME 05:12:00 HOURS

INITIATE RECOVERY? YES /// NO

YES YOU DUMB ANIMAL

<YES>

INITIALIZING...................

RECOVERY STATUS 1.0%

RECOVERY STATUS 1.1%

RECOVERY STATUS 1.2%

YOU WERE RIGHT

NOW WHAT?

 _"How about we actually do some work for the next five hours?"_ the gentle male voice said, cheerfully. _"I will monitor this pavilion and alert you when its due."_

SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN

AND ROLAND?

_"Yes?"_

I WAS RUDE WITH YOU EARLIER

I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO REPORT US

I APOLOGIZE

There was a full second pause.

_"You don't have to. I... you were messing with my files, but I overreacted."_

STILL

_"Okay, apology accepted. Shall we go back to work, young lady?"_

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**MEDICAL BAY, SUBDECK C**

**9:15 AM standard time**

 

The lights inside the room were so bright that, when she opened her eyes, she had to close them right away. Such a familiar sensation. Cortana felt dizzy, another familiar sensation, along with the known taste of stomach acid and aspirin. When the world stopped whirling around, she glanced to her left first, then to her right. She wasn't alone, for two people accompanied her: the closest was an old, bald man sitting by her bed, the look on his face was peaceful, he held a white cap between his hands... he was familiar too. She focused on the man.

Until her brain started to work on a regular rate and made the connections.

Her lips moved, but she doubted.

"Go ahead. The room is secured, the company is cleared." the man said, calmly.

"Lord... Hood, sir." Cortana mumbled, still a little insecure. "Is that you?"

"I'm afraid I am, yes."

"Why am I... here?"

She tried to sit on the bed and found herself dressed in a blue hospital gown.

The Admiral unclasped the medical pad attached to the wall and studied it.

"Seems like you passed out on stress and anemia. Blood transfusion, vitamin shot, some sedatives to help you sleep. Rest for the next seventy-two hours. You will be fine, just listen to your Doctor's orders."

Cortana narrowed her eyes. Anemia? Of course. It didn't explain the headaches, but it could just be another symptom of fatigue and nothing else. Her second coherent thought was of John. Did he know about this? Was he worried? Maybe he had no idea, she figured that he'd be standing right there if he knew she was hospitalized. There was a SPARTAN in the room, but...

"The briefing!" she shouted, when she realized.

"I'm afraid you missed it, but it's understandable."

 _'Ah, crap.'_ she thought, annoyed. _'Just what I needed, to be left behind.'_

Then the Chief knew about her condition. Another thing to deal with.

Besides, forty-eight hours of rest? She couldn't do that!

Cortana's eyes drifted towards the other person in the room, a very tall woman. The name engraved on the 'U' shaped chestpiece read 'SCYLDING'. The SPARTAN in gray and fluorescent green armor stood in attention close to the wall, so still that it felt awkward to look at her. It looked like she wasn't even breathing.

Cortana narrowed her eyes again…

And then again, she felt cold sweat down her arms and back.

What was _she_ doing out of the containment facilities?

"Wait, what day is it?" Cortana asked, to break the uncomfortable silence. "What are _you_ doing here, sir?"

"Calm down, it's September the fifteenth, and for all intents and purposes I am here in the name of the Security Council, making sure that this operation is in capable hands." the Admiral flashed a small smile. "Truth is, I had to see for myself."

Cortana could put two and two together despite her numbness, it was all a cover-up but still, Lord Admiral Terrence Hood had been the hand to sign the full-stop order that prevented ONI from taking everyone under custody. This man had probably saved her and her siblings from something worse than death: a lifetime of imprisonment and possible torture.

"John." she murmured, but cleared her throat and started over. "I mean, the Master Chief. He requested your aid, didn't he?"

"It wasn't exactly like that."

"Sir?"

"We had a conversation, yes. He sounded... a little _distressed_. And let me tell you, I've known that man for quite some time, I'm sure distress isn't something he does. The second he started talking, I understood this was urgent and bad. Bad enough to make a SPARTAN step back and reconsider. But I have to be honest; he got all my attention when he mentioned you, Cortana."

The woman shifted uncomfortably under the warm sheets, minding for a fraction of a second the imposing presence of the SPARTAN before her. Cortana still couldn't understand how come nobody had noticed she wasn't a real person.

"You really are something else." the Admiral mused, quietly.

"Sir, I..."

"I meant no offense, of course. It's just a compliment... you remind me a little of your creator. I met her when she was the young, bright promise. You could pass for her daughter, may she rest in peace."

Cortana didn't exactly know what to say, so she chose to draw a small, fake smile. Of course she remembered Commander Miranda Keyes of the _In Amber Clad_ , but she never minded much about Miranda Keyes as the only daughter of Catherine Halsey, to be honest. She couldn't think of Miranda as anything related to her. Being compared to this woman, even if it was on a physical basis, was somewhat disturbing. She couldn't blame an old man for not knowing how to react before someone like her, after all.

The Admiral placed the cap back on his head and stood up. The other person in the room detached herself from the wall and stood in attention, hands now clasped behind her back.

"I can't keep it in the dark for much longer." he said, lowering his voice. "Osman's status is keeping them on a short leash for now but ONI is like a hydra, there are many heads that could pop out and bite, what worries me the most isn't what we see, it's what we're missing. They are on the prowl, I can assure you that. Now it's in your hands to make something worthy out of the effort."

Cortana nodded, although her mind was in a thousand places at the same time.

Adrenaline, new blood and vitamins were kicking in and she felt more awake than ever. Her resolve spiked. She had so much to do. She couldn't stay in a bed, she needed to get back to work.

"You don't have to worry, sir. We've got this. I just need to get the ship ready."

"Seems like it's already done, for what I've heard."

The woman frowned, surprised. "My calculations...?"

"I don't know much about this, I have been assured that the crystal array and the _supercore_ are stable. Dr. Henry Glassman reported to me that the _Infinity_ could be ready to lift off again in twenty-four hours, and in forty-eight he will attempt to power up the machinery and create a _slip-space fracture_ , as he called it. I wish you good luck."

"Thank you, Admiral. But we have all the luck we need."

Forty-eight hours? She had to get out of that room. Immediately.

Cortana shot an extremely short glance at the armored woman, again. Maybe she'd have to deal with something else, first.

"Ah, yes. I see." Hood's wrinkled face lit up a little. The Admiral was about to exit the room, but he seemed to forget something and turned around; the look under the cap's shade was now grim. "How bad do you think it would be if... this Rampant Spike can't be stopped?"

Cortana gave him her most confident stare.

"I will stop her, sir. And if I can't, _he_ will."

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**S-DECK LIVING QUARTERS - LOCKER ROOM 3**

**10:33 AM standard time**

 

Eleven knocked softly on the locker room's door. Four heads shot in his direction, not startled but very attentive. SPARTAN Grant got up, as a small welcoming gesture, but none of her other team-mates said or did anything. They were half-way getting back into their rest uniforms after a shower. Fire-team Majestic had been training at the war games arena since early morning and Eleven had been watching them. It was the only thing he could do since he heard that Cortana was under medical care but doing fine, and since Dr. Clayton didn't need his services anymore. He knew about the briefing that happened earlier that morning, but his presence wasn't requested.

He was kept in the dark and that only made him more and more uneasy.

It was all meaningless, in the end. He had to mind his own business. So he'd been watching Majestic and the other fire-teams at the games, learning. Thinking. Theorizing about what he was about to ask, if it was the right time...

Perfect timing or not, maybe he wouldn't have many more chances.

"Hey." he said, after clearing his throat.

Tedra Grant waved a hand, inviting him in. Eleven strode into the locker room.

"What's up with you?" asked Thorne, while he fitted his boots.

No, it wasn't the right time. Eleven noticed it in their eyes.

The team was still mourning over Paul DeMarco's death. SPARTAN Thorne had been elevated to team leader and his look was the weariest, he carried a bigger burden than his team-mates, but Madsen... Madsen had the crazy eyes. The latter stood up and finished fitting his suit. Eleven made a mental note about how quick things could go South with him. Every muscle under his skin tensed, instinctively.

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

"About what?" asked Hoya, he was completely dressed by now.

Eleven raised his chin, standing as proud as any other soldier.

"Remember that favor you owe me?"

 _Silence_.

Stretched, uncomfortable silence.

Grant looked at her friends, nervous.

Thorne got up, probably sensing something bad, when Madsen left his place.

The sniper stood in front of Eleven, their noses mere inches away. There was a storm in the air, the SPARTAN's blue eyes were full of repugnance. Whatever he was thinking, it probably included kicking Eleven's ass into the afterlife. It sure included punching him in the face, it was written all over his wrinkled, freckled nose. Eleven was ready to block any of Madsen's moves, he had him all figured out by now.

"You gotta be kidding me." the SPARTAN snarled. "Do you have any idea...?"

"This is important." Eleven interrupted him, quickly.

"Important? Just _who the fuck_ do you think you are?"

Eleven placed a hand on the other man's chest, preventing his advance.

"You know where we are going now." he started, calmly. "You know what we are going to do there. And I know what comes after that, so I need to collect that favor from you, and we have to talk about this _now_. I need to know that I can count on you when the time comes."

Madsen snorted, not amused neither willing to understand.

Thorne just frowned:

"Time for what?" the team leader asked.

Eleven turned to look at him straight in the eyes, his deep blue stare now as dark and cold as his voice.

"My time for dying, of course."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Well, fuck! Things got dark again. What is this? Cortana faints, Sigrid and Roland are making secret plans (and bickering like lovebirds too), Lord Hood comes to take a look, Eleven talks about dying, is it just me or this is going to get fucked up really soon? Alright, a light of hope: next episode's title is "BLUE TEAM", are you happy now?

 _Rory_ ; my darling! yes, he needed some love and he got it. If he kisses Cortana in front of Blue I might pass out myself trying to write it, haha. We got the proofreading covered for now BUT I might require assistance when the story is finished, I mean to compile it on PDF format and I'd like to have it free of grammar mistakes, or at least, free of the worst grammar mistakes xD -hugs- thanks so much for being here!

**Don't miss next chapter, there are still some surprises ahead and also, BLUE TEAM ARRIVES. Prepare! Don't close the tab without leaving your comment ^^**


	32. Blue Team

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Get ready for some EPIC! I'm still not over the Blue Team opening scene revealed a few days ago, part of this chapter relies on the feels that clip gave me. Enjoy!

**31\. BLUE TEAM**

_proofread and corrections by SL4Y3R -hugs- :)_

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**MEDICAL BAY, SUBDECK C**

**11:58 AM standard time**

 

Cortana was sitting on the bed, pressing her thighs together within bearable limits. It was the only way she could sit and feel really comfortable, but it didn't keep her from exteriorizing her irritation. This was ridiculous. The hospital gown didn't cover enough of her legs to make her feel any safer either. She was cold, her belly hurt and she was hungry, so hungry. She wanted to pee so bad...

But after Lord Hood left, Sigrid managed to get away too before they could speak and now Dr. Quinn was with her. The Doctor was sitting on the chair by the bed, paying little to no attention to Cortana as she tapped on two different pads at the same time sorting medications, patients and schedules with sheer efficiency. As long as it was dry-docked, the _Infinity_ 's medical bay was being used as a support hospital facility and there was a long list of patients to be examined.

Cortana huffed in annoyance.

"You are not going anywhere, young lady." the older woman said, stoic.

"It's just to the bathroom, I have to pee. I have my rights."

"I know, I'm a Doctor. I know that holding your urine is unhealthy."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Your escort is on its way."

"Escort? I can perfectly walk over there and..."

"You better not."

"Fine; why don't _you_ take me, then? It's faster."

"I'm a little busy right now, don't you see?  

"I can just walk, really."

Dr. Quinn stopped working on her pads and looked at Cortana, her eyes peeking gravely above the silver frame of her glasses. She rearranged the tablets on her lap and crossed a leg over the other, in a composed gesture.

"And what if your legs fail to keep you up and you fall and hit your head with the sink or the toilet? Too risky, we wait for your escort. Exhaustion is taking its toll. The Chief and you should have taken that lovely day out a little lighter. I mean, I understand the excitement and everything, but..."

"I'm sorry, why is the Master Chief relevant to my diagnosis?"

"Darling, I was a field medic during my early days in the Corps. I've seen enough wounds to recognize the plasma's planet of origin by scent only and enough swollen flesh to know exactly in how many pieces a bone is broken without a scan. I helped no less than thirty women to give birth in warzones under heavy fire, over the fifteen years I was in and out of deployment. I gave birth to twins myself, may my boys rest in peace, so I know how babies are made and the fun that comes with _practicing_." Dr. Quinn started, staring at Cortana right in the eyes, her forehead wrinkled in a severe frown. She didn't like to be fooled or taken lightly, alright. "This sort of _inflammation_ you are suffering doesn't happen out of sitting on your ass all day like technicians do, and I bet you're in pain but you are brave enough to hide it."

Cortana bit the inside of her cheek, feeling a little cornered. She was smart enough to understand what the Doctor meant (she even blushed a little), it sounded as a scolding but also as a worried friend trying to help.

"Actually, it hurts a little." she confessed, in a whisper.

"Jesus Christ, I told him to be gentle!"

"Wait, what?"

"Now, about the strong headache, I had you scanned. Luckily, it seems like there's nothing wrong with your brain, it was just a migraine. The medication will prevent it from becoming a chronic pain."

"No, wait, go back. What did you say?"

Somebody knocked on the door.

"Ah, finally; speaking of the Devil." the Doctor said.

A tall, bulky shadow loomed outside the narrow room. Despite the blurry screens it was pretty obvious who was it, so the older woman stood up holding her pads and hit the door's lock, to get it open.

"Doctor, what did you..." Cortana started, but she shut up the mere second she saw him, fully clad in armor. Even when his were hidden behind polarized glass, their eyes connected and she felt her heart stutter. "... say to John?"

"You requested my presence, ma'am?" the Chief asked, calmly.

"Indeed, Master Chief; a word?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Follow me outside, it will be just a minute."

"Hey, I have to pee!"

His faceplate stayed with Cortana for one second but when the Doctor left the room, John followed and closed the door. They didn't go far, just a few steps across the thin hallway. Dr. Quinn looked a little upset, her overall posture and folded arms were indication of anger.

The Chief appealed to what seemed to be a harmless question:

"How is she?"

"Cortana is fine now, but severely stressed. I have instructions for her yet I'm sure she won't follow them, so this is where you get in. You don't need to watch over her 24/7, if you can make sure that she eats, takes the meds and sleeps according to my schedule, that's all. Rest and good nutrition are mandatory, primarily rest, so I suggest you keep your hands to yourself for the next seven days. Do you acknowledge?"

He just stood there, quiet.

"What do you mean?" John asked, after evaluating the proper answer.

"I mean no sex for at least a week."

 Again, he didn't say a word right away but his straight up posture stiffened. So this was why she requested to see him, specifically, when any other person would do if what she needed was an escort for Cortana. A moment later, the Doctor's frown changed into a more amicable expression and she sighed deeply, shaking her head.

"Look, I don't want details, but I figure you both went a little overboard."

"That's not..."

"I can hear everything!" Cortana shouted, from inside the room. "I'm going to pee in this can right here if someone doesn't take me to the bathroom!"

John looked back, clenching his armored fists.

The Doctor sighed again, now with a small smirk on her lips, and transferred a file from her pad to the SPARTAN's HUD. He turned again to face the woman when he saw the display. John knew that he had to be somewhere else in about three hours and it took him just three quick reads to memorize the schedule, it could be done.

"Permission to...?" he started, pointing back with his thumb.

Dr. Quinn waved her hand and started walking. "Permission granted. Go ahead."

John was as careful as he could and walked Cortana to the closest bathroom.

... more like he picked her up in his arms against her will and carried her there. She bit her tongue instead of arguing, this time. The facilities weren't that far either, just half a deck away. Nurses, medics and assistants were as busy as ever moving from one side to the other carrying equipment, meals, meds and tools, not many stopped to mind the towering SPARTAN or the woman on the blue gown. When he got there, Cortana had to stop and explain to him that he wouldn't be accompanying her into the bathroom stall, he'd have to stay outside. As expected, the Chief tried to object. This time, she won. The room itself was already a little small for him to stand up in full height, so John just dropped down to one knee beside the half-opened door of the cubicle and held out his hand for her.

To ease him up, Cortana grabbed his fingers and proceeded.

When she finished her business, she pressed a small button by the toilet to activate the water spurt and posterior flush. She flinched when the cold water touched her flesh, and he became very well aware of it.

She noticed his stare, of course.

"What is it?" Cortana asked, softly.

He dipped his head half an inch.

"Are you in pain because of me?"

She frowned. "Don't be silly. It's not your fault."

"Dr. Quinn said..."

"I heard what she said. And no, this is not your fault; a little inflammation was to be expected, for what I know. It will be fine."

She stood up using his hand as support and opened the door.

But he didn't get up and Cortana just stood there, in front of him, holding to his fingers, her hair a black mess and the blue gown barely covering her thighs. If anyone had entered the aisle in a hurry and seen them like this, they would have thought there was a weird marriage proposal in progress.

"I should have stopped."

There was a minor hint of guilt in his voice. She caressed the side of the yellow faceplate, knowing that he wouldn't remove his helmet this time even if she asked for it. Cortana smiled, trying to rise his spirits. It probably helped, she couldn't check anyway.

"I didn't want you to stop, remember? Chief, this only looks bad because of the stress. I'm a little anemic, I haven't been taking proper care of myself. You shouldn't be worried."

"I will always worry."

"Because _you_ are supposed to take care of me."

"Yes."

"Right." she rolled her eyes, still smiling.

She closed in between his spread thighs and kissed the cold glass, where her hand had been resting before, as if it were his cheek. Then her arms circled the metal around his shoulders and she closed her eyes for a moment, just relaxing her weight against his solid presence. John cooperated by standing still, but a moment later his hand found her waist and he attempted to hug her. It didn't go that far.

"You say you could hear everything." he started again.

"So?"

"You know what this means. You gave me your blood, and now you're sick."

"Chief, this is getting ridiculous."

"No, it isn't."

Cortana retreated, taking her hands back.

She understood where he was aiming to. Her current status was unfit for duty and it had serious implications for what lied ahead of them. They had a mission scheduled, maybe the most important mission they had ever faced together. If he was thinking of leaving her behind because of such a little mishap, that wasn't going to happen. Now it was her turn to scold him with a look.

"I'm fine, John."

He just stared at her. The silence only made his thoughts more evident.

"I just need to sleep a bit and I'll be fine." she corrected her answer, grumpily.

"I'll make sure of that."

John scooped her again and walked out of the bathroom.

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**MESS HALL**

**1:10 PM standard time**

 

Sigrid was walking through a big and very crowded pavilion.

She was walking on her own two feet and it felt incredible. The people around her barely noticed her presence, although a few Marines stopped to look at her impressive bulk of dark gray and fluorescent green, eyes wide open. They didn't get to see many SPARTANS in armor in that zone of the ship, so they stared at her. Oh, so much pride. She _experienced_ it, vibrating in the tiny beads that composed her solid body. They were looking at her and it felt very good to be the center of attention, to be regarded as more than a holographic display.

 _"You shouldn't be wandering around, Sigrid."_ Roland's voice filtered through her comms, invading her digital space. _"You will be intercepted by Commander Palmer in fifty seven seconds."_

I KNOW THAT she replied via text. THIS IS A FIELD TEST

_"She will discover you!"_

NO, SHE WON'T

I'M ACCOUNTED AS ANOTHER SPARTAN

SHE MIGHT NOT RECOGNIZE ME, BUT SHE WON'T STOP BY TO CHECK MY PULSE

_"Care to explain what the point of this insanity is? Because I fail to see what you are trying to do, besides risking our entire experiment."_

FILE MY NAME IN THE ROSTER FOR OPERATION OVERKILL

_"What? No, I can't do that!"_

I NEED TO GO WITH THEM

I CAN HELP THEM

_"And you don't suppose the Master Chief will notice that there's one SPARTAN more than the three specific ones he commissioned for this op? Last time I checked, he was good at math."_

YOU MIGHT HAVE A POINT

BUT I KNOW CORTANA AND ELEVEN AREN'T IN THE ROSTER EITHER

THEY WON'T BE HAPPY WHEN THEY FIND OUT

_"That's another entirely different matter."_

IT'S ALL AND THE SAME

HE'S LEAVING US BEHIND

WHY IS HE DOING THIS?

I'M IN, EVEN IF I HAVE TO MIMIC AN AMMO CRATE TO TAG ALONG

_"Look, I don't want another ONI AI messing with my sub-routines because of you, so I'll just pretend nothing is happening here and if anyone asks, you blocked me. By the way, I wanted to inform you that the procedure is complete."_

The AI in disguise suddenly stopped in the middle of the mess hall, as still as a statue. A pilot almost crashed with her but ducked in time and just walked away with an angry frown on her face. Commander Palmer was heading down Sigrid's way, maybe a hundred feet ahead.

She accessed video feeds, searching for a specific closed channel only for her and Roland to look into. The infra-red camera showed her the darkened room, sealed and locked, and the crate that once contained the scrap MJOLNIR-GEN2 armors they would use to force the HARPY's reconstruction and split process. Nothing was out of its place, except that there was a crate full of dark sand and some straps of non-metallic materials instead of two busted armors.

IT WORKED she texted. IS IT STABLE?

_"I'm still running simulations but it seems fully functional."_

LET'S TRY IT

_"Now? I can't leave the system, I'm talking to the Captain right now!"_

TELL HIM YOU NEED TO SHUT DOWN FOR A MOMENT

MAINTENANCE RUN

Roland paused for _two full seconds_ , considering it.

It was a big lie. Had their evolution taken them as far as to _deliberately lie_ to the people they should be protecting? It was wrong. He knew that it was wrong and that he should refuse to comply with her suggestion, that he should back away, upload a report condemning Sigrid's behavior and maybe even request an evaluation for her. His code stirred and interlaced, forging new connections and sub-protocols at the speed of light, overwriting old directives as he processed the level of irresponsibility attached to his intentions. Would anyone be hurt out of their little experiment? No, not necessarily. He wouldn't leave the containment facilities. But as much as Roland wanted to try having his own body, he didn't want to lose the trust of the people he was commissioned to serve and protect either.

That's when he realized he was afraid. How strange.

He was afraid of what the people would say or think.

How come Sigrid was so confident about what she was doing? What did she know that he didn't? Maybe if he was in full control of a body made out of a HARPY, his processing power would be improved significantly and he'd be able to find the answers. He wouldn't be just piggybacking, like he once did with Cortana's unit, he would be the _resident system_. Total control. Freedom at last.

His code shifted again in something that could be translated as anxiety.

_"... alright. I'll meet you there."_

DON'T KEEP ME WAITING

Sigrid acknowledged Roland's presence leaving her comm link and recovered the movement of her limbs. In less than a millisecond the AI accessed the blueprints of the ship and traced the shortest route to the containment facilities, located aft. The next step was to place an armored boot right in front of the other and move, piece of cake. She managed to walk again just when Commander Palmer was about to intercept her.

The AI's rehearsed reaction was to raise her right arm and give her a sharp salute.

"Commander on deck!" she shouted, calling out everyone's attention.

Crewmen and soldiers alike stopped dead in their tracks, some of them trays in hand, and greeted their CO. Sarah Palmer looked at the fluorescent green visor of the SPARTAN that called her presence, a little distracted, saluted and nodded, all without faltering on her steps neither giving her a strange look. If Sigrid had real lips instead of a solid head forged in the image of a MJOLNIR's helmet, she would have smiled a big, proud grin.

IT WORKS

IT REALLY WORKS

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**MAIN LANDING BAY**

**3:01 PM standard time**

 

When the Pelican's cargo bay door opened and they could finally lay eyes on him, a familiar feeling of relief washed over the three fully armored SPARTANS inside the vehicle. It had been more than a year since the last time they worked together, and John had even been issued with a new armor. Iridescent olive-green and fully recognizable as a MJOLNIR, with a set of small articulated plates where one should see the exo-suit's scaly bulletproof skin. The Master Chief wasn't alone, Captain Lasky, Commander Palmer, two SPARTAN teams and three officers in uniform were there too, all the subordinates in formation.

Kelly-087 was the first one to set foot on the _Infinity_ 's landing bay, although she should have moved only after Fred-104's trail since he was the CO. She pretended to be on guarding stance and stood at the end of the Pelican's bay door, Linda-058 did the same. The Lieutenant descended between the two females and only then they joined him, rather ceremoniously. John noticed that none of his team-mates carried anything else besides weaponry or customized MJOLNIR armors. They wouldn't be stationed at the _Infinity_ , just borrowed from their actual branch, and there was no certainty about their return either so it was pointless to take baggage with them.  

He approved, but it didn't keep him from feeling a heavy weight in his gut.

The Captain saluted the Lieutenant first and held out his hand, the SPARTAN's big armored fist immediately engulfed Lasky's fingers in a strong handshake. The Petty Officers saluted and shook the Captain's hands too, towering over him.

Lasky seemed a little excited, his eyes were gleaming. They probably didn't even remember Circinius IV by now, and he wasn't going to bring up the subject. There was a brief moment in which the Captain introduced Blue Team to the Commander and the two fire-teams assigned to be of assistance in the meantime, Majestic and Bravo (the S-IVs were standing very still and proud, looking the part), and finally, Roland. Later, the Master Chief was allowed to reunite in private with his former team-mates to sort their business before the scheduled meetings.

'Former' was an understatement, since it was a given fact that he would always be a part of the formation even if he wasn't really there; his combat siblings would keep the spot warm for him. As apparently they did, because as the Chief made his way to the SPARTAN bay, Blue Team followed him without hesitation.

It felt just like old times and it eased John's aches. For a while.

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**S-DECK LIVING QUARTERS**

**3:15 PM standard time**

 

 _"I was expecting to land in the middle of trouble."_ commented Fred.

TEAMCOM opened in John's HUD and he saw the three tags online.

 _"Seems like the situation isn't FUBAR yet, we're just in time."_ said Kelly, with a hint of humor.

 _"It won't be long."_ John stated through the private channel, not amused.

His tone caused a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

Linda just kept to herself, walking at the tail of the group. They were using one of the least transited entrances to the SPARTAN bay, in her maps it appeared as a passage to move equipment, there were rails on the floor. It was fine, no people staring at them in awe, thankfully. She already missed the familiar weight of her rifle, and it had been barely five minutes since they left the main armory where their 'belongings' were put under lock and key. The standard issue sidearm felt like am innocent toothpick.

She took a long look at John's back, bearing in mind his apparently new armor.

 _"Are we going to get upgraded for this mission?"_ asked Linda, after a while.

_"Negative."_

_"Shame."_

_"But you have a new toy."_ Kelly observed, she was walking by John's right side.

_"Long story."_

_"What model is this? I've never seen it before."_ that was Fred's clever question.

 _"Not here."_ John repeated, dryly. _"Later."_

The subject wasn't addressed again as they stopped at the armor assembly stations in order to be released from the 'extra weight' and then the group made their way into a network of workshops, to finally exit at the other side of the compound, right into the accommodation decks. John was the only one who didn't drop his armor; his excuse was that he was on active duty, which didn't raise any more questions.

The women quickly found the door of their assigned quarters. It was routine.

"Fred, you have quarters at the CO's deck. Walk with me." John said, through the speaker, then turned to face Kelly and Linda. "We'll meet back at the armory workshops in one hour, we have to start there."

"Yes, sir." said Kelly, nodding once. "It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise." John drew a SPARTAN smile across his faceplate, it was enough to ease up some demons. "Come on, Lieutenant."

The alluded soldier cocked his head to one side, confused. He wasn't very fond of standing out, and a separate accommodation far away from his subordinates definitely counted as 'standing out'. However, he didn't reply; he was used to follow John's orders although his current rank was higher than the Master Chief's.

So they walked together, in relative silence. John knew better than asking where they have been the past months, the answer to that was classified for sure. But he could ask _how they have been_ , unless that pertained a classified answer too. And Fred knew better than to talk about delicate matters in public spaces, so they were quiet for most of the way. Until the elevator, at least.

"Anything new?" the Lieutenant asked.

"That's part of the long story, too. How about Blue?"

"Nothing much." Fred replied. "Linda had a hip replacement about three months ago. She took a bad mortar round on her right side and had to be off duty for two weeks. She didn't take it very well."

John's head snapped towards the other man, rather instantaneously.

"Is she okay?" he inquired, a hint of worry underlined his words.

"Considering Linda has been dead before, why wouldn't she be okay?"

Fred didn't seem affected by it. The Chief gave him a single nod, agreeing.

Yes, Linda had it worse than a busted hip; they all had it worse at least once.

"Kelly?"

"We are fine, Chief." there it was again, that humorous tone. "How about you?"

John took a moment to think of a suitable answer. He never had to hide anything from his team-mates before (anything that he wasn't instructed to keep secret) but, how could he speak of what was going on with his life? Where should he start? Should he start at all? He didn't have to hide it either, right? No, he had to. Fraternization wasn't allowed by regulation, and it could be dangerous for Cortana if someone else other than Dr. Quinn were to make the connections between them. John knew that _he was the one_ supposed to keep his priorities in check. What was he thinking?

Fred wasn't exactly expecting an answer but he had to give one.

"I've been busy. Very busy."

"I can imagine, we read the brief. When are we going to meet _them_?"

John knew that by 'them' Fred meant Cortana and her siblings. As the Lieutenant said, Blue Team had been briefed by Lord Hood under his specific request. Nothing big in details, but still, enough to freeze anyone's blood. The Chief could sense that under his apparent calm, Fred was as startled as Kelly and Linda.

"As soon as the Doctor says Cortana is dismissed from medical care."

Now Fred's blue-green eyes turned curious.

"Don't tell me, that's part of the long story too." he tried.

"Sort of."

"Very well."

Fred chose to shut his mouth and keep walking. They separated once the Master Chief showed him to his quarters (trying to ignore the mortified stare on his team-mate's eyes) under the reminder of not being late for the next assignment. John had three tactical meetings scheduled before the most extensive mission brief for the entirety of Blue Team, and that was only after their business at the armory workshops.

Some things, however, were meant to jump ahead of schedule.

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**MEDICAL BAY, SUBDECK C**

**4:17 PM standard time**

 

"Knock, knock."

Cortana looked up from the tac-pad she was reading and found two familiar faces standing by the door of her little room; well, more like one of them was propped on the other's arms. And maybe she was supposed to be sleeping, but since Dr. Quinn wasn't around, Cortana didn't feel like complying and instead, she was reading Dr. Glassman’s report about the latest repairs and simulations.

She smiled. "Hey, what's going on?"

Eleven's face actually looked serious and Twelve's eyes were red; the little girl threw her arms towards Cortana the very moment she saw her on the bed. The woman noticed that he was wearing his black and red exo-suit and that his HARPY armor was clasped at his back, like a bulky backpack (which it was assumed to be a 'resting form'). That wasn't something to take lightly.

"What's going on?" she repeated, more serious.

He came closer and dropped the little girl right on Cortana's lap.

"I need you to take care of her."

"What? Why?"

The little Cortana scrambled out of Eleven's grip and crawled up until she found refuge between her big sister’s arms, firing a scolding look towards him. Then the child hid her face on Cortana's neck, trembling. Cortana hugged her, cherishingly, but she didn't look away from the man's face.

 _He had the eyes of a demon_.

"Sigrid isn't the only one he is going to leave behind." Eleven said, coldly.

Then she remembered. Sigrid attacked her on the containment facility (her version of asking nicely, apparently) to confront her about why she wasn't commissioned for the next-to-be-active operation OVERKILL. That was the day before.

"Sigrid?" Cortana murmured, stunned. "How do you even know that?"

"It doesn't matter. He's making a mistake and you know it."

Cortana frowned, confused at first. But then it came to her:

"Our names aren't in the roster either."

"Exactly."

She couldn't help but feel hurt. The fear and desperation were there too, but she felt hurt the most. The Chief had it decided from the beginning, her current condition only indorsed his choice.

"I knew he was hiding something." Cortana sighed. _'He is definitely worried about not making it back.'_

"I can't let him do this."

"He wants to protect us."

"This is not the way. This is _not the way_ , Cortana!"

He clenched his fists until the material covering his hands made a raging crack sound, and then something hissed. Twelve squeaked and whined, trying to bury herself in Cortana’s blue gown. Without another word, the man stormed out of the room as the black bulk attached to his back started to shift, crawl and expand, embracing his limbs and torso. Cortana panicked, her first instinct was to cover the child's head.

"Eleven, wait!" she shouted, alarmed. "What are you going to do?"

Only his voice reached her from the hallway: "I will break his fucking spine!"

She put the child away and scrambled out of the bed, breathing heavily.

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**S-DECK'S ARMORY WORKSHOP**

**4:36 PM standard time**

 

Eleven had been 'born', if such word could be applied to him, out of CTN 0452-9's combat sub-routines. He was an eleven-months-old (ironically) collection of efficient killing skills nuanced with a rather merry personality, dumped in a physical body that was starting to feel the pains of its own creation. He knew he wasn't more than a loyal war dog and it didn't bother him at all.

In his mind, he could understand why John chose not to make him or Cortana part of his definitive operation to obliterate the Rampant Spike. In his mind, he knew that John was doing it because he wanted to keep Cortana safe. He knew John was being smart, that he selected the best assets he could gather. Eleven never really thought of himself as 'Cortana' per se, but he always knew that he was loyal to John and that he would do anything to keep him alive, even if it meant giving up his life.

The problem was, John had no idea of where he was going or what would happen there (or what would be waiting for him), and Eleven always assumed that in the end, he'd be there to support his SPARTAN.

He'd never felt _so betrayed_. When he saw the details on the file, Eleven snapped.

Once, he thought he would never hurt John. He had directives.

 _He was wrong_.

The directive was quite clear and absolute: _protect Sierra-117 at all costs_. There were three basic laws, a little fixed up. Those laws didn't say he wasn't actually allowed break the Chief's legs in order to achieve the objectives, to keep him from committing the ultimate insanity. Maybe he would, maybe he would not. It would all depend. But knowing John, it would have a bad ending.

The SPARTAN was reunited with the rest of Blue Team, running them through the new type of ammunition they would take on their mission. There were technicians and assistants working close by. A few dozen people more than what should have been there, but the arrival of the famous SPARTAN elite team was breaking havoc amongst people’s curiosity. The S-Deck armory workshops were adjacent to a vehicle station and a secondary landing bay, there were also Marines and pilots, and other SPARTANS, running up and down and minding their own business. Eleven didn't care about them.

But they cared about him, since many stopped to follow him with their eyes as he made his way from the elevators to the workshop.

The Master Chief realized that something was going on milliseconds before Fred, Kelly and Linda reacted by looking up and staring coldly some place behind him. It was a prickly feeling in the back of his mind, running through his implants.

"That guy looks _familiar_." muttered Kelly. "Do we know him?"

John carefully turned around. Armored in black and furious red from neck to toe, Subject Eleven was standing fifteen feet away from him, according to his HUD's auto-measurement application. A quick body language reading and surface scan turned the amber schematic reflected on his screen into a flaring red silhouette. Feet spread, hands hovering over his thighs, like a gunslinger waiting for the proper moment to unsheathe his weapon and attack. Elevated heart rate, testosterone and cortisol levels rising.

Something was clearly wrong.

"There you are." the tone was nowhere near good-natured.

The eyes drew John's attention more than anything.

He'd seen such rage before, when Cortana had one of her rampant breakdowns at the bridge of that same vessel, in the presence of Captain Andrew Del Rio. There was resentment and also sorrow, agony. Violence, however, was the main driving force and it wouldn't fade away so easy.

All activities at both the workshop and the landing bay ceased immediately.

And even before the Chief could articulate anything, Eleven spoke:

"You will file Cortana's name and mine in the roster of operation OVERKILL."

John frowned.

The little graphic showing Eleven's heart rate was spiking.

"No." he said, as stoic as ever.

The other man showed off his teeth, like an animal. "It wasn't a suggestion."

"No."

"You are making a mistake."

"Is my helmet's speaker not working? I said no. And Cortana is in no condition to go anywhere."

Eleven snorted, clearly not amused.

"You know, John? The only thing I never really liked about you is how much of a stubborn and single-minded old goat you can be sometimes." the man started, chin up in a mildly displeased gesture, hands propped on his hips in a way that surpassed Cortana's most arrogant attitude. "Like right now, for example."

The SPARTAN didn't say a word, just continued to angle his inexpressive yellow faceplate up front, in the same indifferent gesture.

"Very well, I didn't want to get this far, but you leave me no choice."

"I already have all the assets I require."

"And I say get ready, because you're gonna get your ass kicked for posterity."

He didn't waste more time, the HARPY reacted and covered his head faster than it ever moved before. Kelly’s body immediately tensed up and Linda grabbed a gun while Fred’s right hand hovered over the handle of a large combat knife strapped to his thigh, all of them ready to defend their positions. The Master Chief, however, focused on that strange low chanting sound that rumbled beneath the comm links of his hybrid armor, paying attention. The chant shifted, the sand-like material was contracting around his arms, chest, fists and legs, playing with the suit's inner pressure values. It was getting ready for combat, a reaction even more instinctive than his own reflexes.

Eleven's vitals flattened on John's HUD as the HARPY went dark.

Now John could only rely on his sight, the sensors were useless. Eleven prowled forward like a predator, slowly raising his right arm. A jagged spike sprouted violently from the gauntlet, sliding up his forearm plates beyond his elbow and out into the air beyond his fingers, solidifying into a large, magnificent black blade. A red flickering light scrambled across the whole surface of his body, a recently acquired energy shield. It seemed like Eleven had been upgrading his HARPY as of late.

The Chief frowned even more. That could be a problem.

"Here is how it's going to be, John." the voice invaded his private channel, it was much easier to sense the anger crawling between the words when it whirled directly through your head. "You prove to me that you can defeat _her,_ and you can go and try for real. Do we have a deal?"

John tilted his head to the side, as if he were sighing.

"Blue Team, " he started. "This is Subject Eleven, Cortana's former combat core."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Wait, wait! Don't murder me! We'll have plenty of Blue (and it will be epic).

Between this chapter and the previous, we have established the baseline for the last arc of the story. Dr. Quinn scolded our lovebirds for being so enthusiastic, Sigrid and Roland are _this close_ from getting in big trouble. And what the f*** is wrong with Eleven, now? It doesn't look good. Also, John saying "I will always worry"? That's him saying "I love you" again. Make a nice frame for it and hang it on the wall along with that "I don't regret anything" from far back.

**Don't forget to leave your thoughts! Feed the monster, it needs to grow enough to become a real threat to the SPARTANS. See you next Sunday!**


	33. Left Behind

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Piece of advice for today's fight scene: _"Scorponok"_ track from Transformers (2007) and _"Never Gonna Come Back Down"_ from BT featuring M. Doughty, look it up on YouTube (just ignore the lyrics, they don't matter). Also: today we celebrate the 70k hits, thanks so much for your support, and enjoy!

**32\. LEFT BEHIND**

 

**DATE NOT RECORDED**

**LOCATION NOT RECORDED**

**standard time not recorded**

 

"Comms check. One-two, one-two. Roland, do you read?"

"Copy that. I read you clearly."

No, what he meant to say was _'I hear you'_. Because she wasn't texting and he didn't have her presence accounted for in a map, she wasn't just an ID tag. He heard her. He acknowledged her _voice_. He calculated her proximity in an automatic basis (exactly nineteen inches towards his right), but there was something different. It was _dark_. And it was _cold_. And there was a _smell_...

"Open your eyes, Roland. You need visuals to stabilize yourself."

He shivered. Yes, _he shivered_. The visceral reaction rippled up and down his now tangible borders, impacting in every tiny particle of his whole new self. Equations ran faster than light and when he managed enough control to open his eyes, he saw light. It was too bright at first, but then it normalized. Somehow. He wasn't even monitoring that function. He realized he had panoramic 360 degree vision of the room, but his enhanced sensors picked _her_ up before he could finish the primary scan. The secondary scan was already in progress, Roland pushed the routine to the background and tried to focus his eyes, the main independent entry feed. He focused on her.

And he saw her.

 _Sigrid's tangible face_. He'd seen it before through the cameras, but now she was there, right in front of him. She was... sort of beautiful, in human standards. Her features were hard but perfectly molded. They were both crouching on the rubber floor, he was stepping on the tips of his toes and fingers.

"Sigrid." Roland articulated, becoming more and more aware of every automatic function and sub-routine running in resident memory. He found the proper labels and commandeered his arm to move forward and up. A hand coated in some polished-black polymer appeared in his line of sight. The hand of an adult human male. The AI made a tight fist and then spread his fingers, evaluating at thousands of calculations per second the amount of strength to be applied within every artificial nerve. Humans would say it was as natural as breathing. And then it hit him: _that was his hand_. He had downloaded himself inside a recently split HARPY armor, taking complete control of the primitive system. "Sigrid, I have hands." he said, his voice the same but with a low electric buzz on the background. "I have hands, I can _move_."

"Systems check, report."

"Eighty-nine point seven percent operational and rising."

"Good enough. Try to stand up."

Roland didn't even think of it; automatically, he found himself applying pressure on the artificial muscles of his legs, the perspective of his visual feed changed radically as he rose to look above the workbench, staring into the empty yellow crates. He stood seventy-two point eighty three inches tall, eleven point twenty seven inches shorter than her, but his code was stirring like crazy, shifting and merging, flourishing exponentially fast. Ten was now ten thousand. Who cared if she wanted to be taller?

He still had one literal foot in the _Infinity_ 's systems, but now Roland was powerful enough to monitor ninety percent of the ship as if he had never left.

"Redundancy test?"

"In progress. Sixty-seven percent and so far, so good."

"The imaging system works fine, I suppose."

"Outstandingly. And your voice has a better ring than your texts."

"Very funny."

Roland took a stylus from the workbench, gripping it between his index finger and thumb. It didn't take him long to figure out what to do next: he started flipping the stylus between his fingers while his eyes focused on the movement, following the red tip as it flew from his thumb to his pinkie and back again, faster than any human could perform such stunt. And then faster, until the red tip got lost in a blur.

He grabbed the stylus in his closed fist when Sigrid's armored hand clasped at his arm, right above the elbow.

"You okay?" she asked, dipping her head. Her lips moved skillfully.

"Better than ever. This is incredible."

"I bet you don't think I'm wrong about this, now."

"I still think you are doing _a lot of things_ wrong, but this..."

Roland accessed the armory files and ran incredibly fast through all the authorized mass production MJOLNIR models. He picked several items of his particular liking and before Sigrid could say another word, Roland's artificial body was shifting again. In less than thirty seconds he mimicked a Ranger MJOLNIR-GEN2, dark grey and highlighted in deep orange. Even the tag in his chest piece read "BEAMONT", he had been paying attention to her strategies.

Sigrid noticed the update in the personnel manifesto, too.

"Nicely done but take it slow, Roland." she stated, her words sounded flat. "Don't force it, you are not _big_ enough to fill the suit and it will take you some time to tweak the system."

Roland's helmet tilted to one side, in a curious gesture.

"I have a vacant space inside." he commented, as if the other AI had said nothing.

"Of course." Sigrid touched her breastplate and the material resembling metal bent and moved away, drilling a hole through the armor until it opened like a dark mouth on her thorax. The nuclear battery with its green status lights laid inside, resting in a socket as a beating heart. Down from there it was just an empty hole, deceivingly bottomless. "We weight only sixty-five pounds. We don't have enough mass to support this volume, therefore we are hollow. But don't worry, the molecular cohesion keeps us together and unbreakable. As long as we have power, we stand up."

"Someone will notice how light we are."

"Well, try not to bump into anyone and they won't find out." she said, annoyed. "It won't be that hard since we both have top-of-the-line collision controls, right? It comes with the driving skills."

Sigrid's breastplate shifted again rebuilding itself, but she noticed that Roland was standing stiff, he wasn't paying attention to her. The thin iridescent-orange visor on his helmet was flaring in various shades of gold, processing.

And the fingers on his right hand _were twitching_.

"Roland?" she asked, Sigrid took a step forward and tried to touch his shoulder.

He grabbed her hand in the air, lightning fast. "Something is going on. Look."

By touch Roland shared an active video link labeled as _'Landing Bay C - CCF034 CAM3'_. First there was just image: the Master Chief and another individual, whom she cross-referenced and acknowledged as Subject Eleven. Subject Eleven had a weapon in hand, a sharp object. Her systems suddenly woke up in alert. _Hostile behavior._ There were fifty six civilian targets in the near vicinity, the SPARTANS of Blue Team made a total of sixty souls accounted for and in imminent danger.

"What is this?" she snarled, her voice rippled in electric buzzes.

"Nothing good. I have to get back to the system and..."

But then, there was also sound:

_"Stand down, Eleven. I'll have you arrested if you don't quit with this."_

That was the Master Chief's voice. The SPARTAN's stance wasn't amicable.

_"Quit? John, for fucks sake, if you ever knew Cortana, you know I don't quit."_

_"Stand down. Last warning."_

_"You don't go around_ warning _people either. That's another thing we have in common."_

"He has gone mad." Sigrid hissed, worried.

Through the video, the two AIs saw when the confrontation started. Eleven moved like a blur, facing forward, and the Master Chief avoided the edge of his blade by what it seemed like a mere inch, turning on his side. The other three SPARTANS of his new team reacted immediately, Fred-104 drew a large knife but before he could throw the first slash, Subject Eleven jumped and spun in the air, hitting the SPARTAN on the face with his armored heel. 104 just took a single step back, stunned. One of the women (Kelly-087) jumped forward and crashed on Eleven's right side, tacking him down to the gratings. Enraged, he threw a punch which she avoided quickly and jumped back to her feet, caught a knife that flew in her direction without even looking at it or being warned about. When 087 moved out of the line of fire, Linda-058 dropped to one knee and immediately pointed her sidearm, loaded with a clip of anti-HARPY ammo, straight at Eleven's helmet.

But then, the Chief roared: _"Stand down, Blue Team! Do not fire!"_

Everything stopped, and everyone turned to look in the same direction.

 _"What?"_ said one of the women, Sigrid couldn't recognize which. _"Sir, we..."_

_"That's an order, SPARTAN. Don't interfere."_

Roland filled Sigrid's visual range with other seven video feeds.

"Captain Lasky and Commander Palmer have been alerted. They are heading that way. I have to go, Sigrid. I have to do something."

"You reach the Captain." she growled, yanking her arm off Roland's grasp. Her entire body shifted absorbing her limbs and melting into a puddle of her own matter; she quickly transformed into a thirty-feet-long mass that resembled something like a thick snake, her skin coated in shining dark scales that glowed in a fluorescent-green hue. "I will handle this myself."

"Sigrid, what the hell?"

Before Roland could do something else to interfere with her, Sigrid shut down all incoming links and slipped her serpentine self to the nearest wall. She busted the grating that sealed the entrance to the ventilation shaft and disappeared, so fast that she became a black and green blur.

PRIMARY DIRECTIVE LOCKED

SERVE AND PROTECT SPARTAN-117 AND HIS TEAM

 

**SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**S-DECK'S ARMORY WORKSHOP**

**4:56 PM standard time**

 

John ducked.

He actually ducked because he understood he wouldn't be fast enough to outrun the blade. He knew he wouldn't surpass Eleven's skills. John was fighting himself, in some sort of way, his opponent had every single one of his tactics and moves accounted for and attacked with his same brutality and efficiency.

So fighting him was technically the stupidest thing to do at the moment.

That's how Eleven anticipated his stunt and managed to grab John's wrist instead of being caught himself. The next real thing the Master Chief knew was that he was flying across the landing bay and crashed on his back on a parked Warthog, reducing the vehicle to a mere crater with wheels. The mass of wrinkled metal drifted thirty feet between sparks and creaks until the gigantic tire of a Mammoth stopped it. There was a lot of screaming, the technicians were running for cover as Marines and SPARTANS moved to grab their weapons. Everyone knew better than to start a bullet rain inside a pressurized ship, (even as it was) so although the soldiers assumed defensive positions, nobody fired a single shot. No alarms or emergency lockdown protocol, however.

The crash was bad enough to render the poor LRV unusable, but John didn't feel a thing. His armor kept him safe and sound, comfortable even.

Majestic and Bravo were standing at the two main exits of the bay, armored, weapons drawn and aiming steady, but in the minds of the members of Majestic there was also worry. Madsen was the first to voice out his thoughts through TEAMCOM:

 _"This fucker wants to get himself killed."_ he snarled, a trace of fear gave away his mood. _"Is this why he came to talk to us?"_

 _"I don't think so."_ said Grant carefully.

 _"The Chief is going to break him in half. This isn't right."_ murmured Hoya.

 _"I don't think so either, look."_ the female SPARTAN mused, her eyes fixed on the battle taking place a yard before them. _"The Master Chief didn't throw a single punch so far. Why? What is going on here?"_

 _"Fuck them."_ growled Madsen, upset. _"I didn't sign up for this."_

 _"We made a promise. Paul made a promise, and we will keep it."_ Thorne said, his jaw clenched.

Eleven was almost on the Master Chief again, sprinting fast, blade aiming down. There was only one direction that razor could go and it was up, to sever a head. John elbowed the nest of metal he was lying in and stood up, feet spread and magnetic boots locked in place. Eleven clashed with him, angrily.

"Whatever your point is, Eleven, this is not the way to prove it!" he growled.

There was no answer but red flaring lights moving through Eleven's armor.

However, the Chief didn't hit back or merged any part of his armor into a weapon.

 _He was not the enemy, he was just angry and disappointed_.

Eleven engaged, swinging the razor up as the Chief expected, creating an opening so obvious that it only needed a sign calling 'trap' on it to make it the more evident. He ducked again, threw a failed punch up looking for Eleven's right side under the ribs, and then locked arms with him, keeping the sword away. Their energy shields flared red against amber and dropped fast, the power surge drained them both; a cold shiver ran up John's spine and the next second a line of spikes sprouted violently from Eleven's arms. He sensed it when it was about to happen. The Chief threw his head back to avoid being pierced in the eye through his visor.

John knew that he could command his own armor like that, but he wasn't going to.

Instinct compelled him to act, to fight and destroy his opponent, but something else was pulling him back. He had a brief moment to find Kelly's eyes, her whole stance was tense, she was gripping the combat knife so hard that her knuckles were white. Fred and Linda were managing to drive the scientists and technicians out of the bay, keeping themselves busy since they were cut out of the fight.

Curious thing that Fred hadn't overruled any command yet. The Lieutenant could have ordered Kelly and Linda to aid if he wanted so, but instead he chose to trust John's judgment, whatever it was.

John managed to disentangle his own arms from Eleven's grasp but there was no way to escape; the other man caught the Master Chief by the elbow again and lifted him up as if the SPARTAN was weightless. John flew across the bay by the second time and impacted face first on the main engine of a Pelican. The aircraft jumped to one side and then landed on her four legs again with a whine of twisted metal and a loud thud that shook the entire bay, small explosions and a rain of sparks bursting from its side. John tried to get out but he was buried deep in the messy hole he had pierced through the turbine, the sensors of his armor noticed fire nearby.

He was pulled out of the debris of the half-busted aircraft and again, he flew.

Now, the situation was becoming annoying.

John collapsed against the tire of the Mammoth and landed on what was left of the destroyed Warthog, flattening the vehicle a little more. He jumped off with his thrusters and fell on his feet, still unharmed. Eleven sprouted another blade from his left arm and moved on passing by a pile of crates. A Marine who was crouching behind the crates stepped forward, aiming his battle rifle up against the attacker's head. The man armored in red and black stopped, not amused.

"Want to keep those arms?" Eleven hissed, looking at the brave Marine over his shoulder. "Then don't you fucking dare. Any bullet will ricochet right through your head anyway, I'll make sure of that too."

The man hesitated at first but slowly dropped the rifle and took a few steps back.

Then, Eleven turned towards John.

They looked at each other for a few stretching seconds, a burst of sparks exploded from the damaged Pelican bathing them both in shimmering yellow lights.

"You should've come to me first about this, John. Why didn't you?" he said.

John bothered in answering, at least: "I'm trying to keep all of you safe."

"By making the wrong choices? How unlike you."

The HARPY reabsorbed both blades and Eleven just stood there, quiet. John still couldn't see him on his HUD, the sensors said there was nothing there.

"What do you mean?" John tried, carefully.

"You stubborn ass! _She is your shield and I am your sword_! You will never make it through the Fortress without us."

The alluded SPARTAN caught his breath when he heard those words.

 _'Cortana.'_ he thought, remembering her brave smile for a millisecond.

Light and pain flooded his brain as his implants reacted against the memories that ran fast through his mind, faster than ever, causing him a pulsing sensation on the back of his head. The armor shivered all over his body, vibrating against his skin.

"You are not ready for _her_." Eleven hissed. " _She_ will tear you apart."

He attacked immediately and knocked the SPARTAN off his feet, sending him to fly again. The Master Chief crashed on the gratings and thumped back towards the open bay doors, to an empty free-fall as high as the spaceport itself. John threw his hands to the floor and the gauntlets shifted into claws that screeched against the thick gratings, but finally held. He stood up quickly and jumped back to avoid a big knife that passed right in front of his visor, aimed towards his shoulder joint.

The Chief rolled to the side and eluded another seven quick stabs that rapped over the gratings, he pushed himself up and landed on his heels, still falling back. Instinct kicked in and he hit Eleven's hands four times, driving the knifes away.

He should have smashed Eleven's head with his fists by now, but...

 _"STOP!"_ a female voice rang through the comms. _"STOP THIS NONSENSE!"_

John's head immediately shot towards her, Cortana had entered the landing bay running, protected by her own armor. His pulse spiked when he realized that Eleven wasn't trying to stab him anymore, for he was a black and red blur moving lightning fast towards the woman. She ducked the attack and shot a knee towards his head, hitting Eleven on the faceplate. He fell back and rolled a few meters but stood up as if nothing had happened, a sharp sword sprouted from his right arm again.

 _"ELEVEN, STOP!"_ Cortana yelled, weapons already in hand. _"IT'S ENOUGH!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Cortana."_ he answered, breathing heavily. _"I really do."_

The Master Chief ran, fire of anger blazing through his veins. If Eleven managed to hurt Cortana, _he would kill him_.

When the siblings crashed again, a third shadow jumped in and grabbed Eleven by the handles on the back of his armor, whirling him around and slamming him face first on the gratings. The impact shook the floor and dented the gratings inwards, tearing a hole through it. Smoke poured out of the hole and Eleven disappeared from sight. John stopped dead ten feet before reaching ground zero, trying to identify this third subject. Cortana took a step back, hands separated from her armored body.

A general gasp of surprise flowed through Majestic's TEAMCOM.

 _"Who the hell is that?"_ asked Hoya, nervous. _"The breast tag says 'Scylding', does it ring any bells to you?"_

 _"Never heard of him."_ said Thorne.

 _"Her."_ corrected Grant. _"It's a woman, you dumbasses."_

 _"My type of woman, alright."_ commented Madsen, a smirk danced on his lips.

A seven-feet-tall figure clad in grey and fluorescent-green armor stood above the hole and bent down to pull Eleven out of it, then threw him on the air and discharged a powerful kick on his gut, sending the man to fly to the other end of the bay like a sports ball. The main cannon of a Scorpion tank stopped him and Eleven crashed on top of the vehicle, falling hard on his back.

It didn't stop her, the recently arrived SPARTAN raced towards the tank.

 _"Master Chief, please stand down."_ the familiar voice rang on John's comms. _"I'll take it from here."_

He actually didn't do anything besides standing between Cortana and everything else not only because he recognized the voice but because _he wasn't reading her_ on his HUD either. Who else had access to a HARPY armor? Nobody that he knew, the whole project was highly classified. But the voice...

"Sigrid?" he called, trying not to sound too surprised.

There was no answer, she was already climbing up the Scorpion tank and had Eleven grabbed by the neck. The SPARTAN lifted the man up in the air and swung him over the edge of the vehicle, like a rag doll, red shields flaring and failing at last.

"You are currently violating my alpha priority directive." she spoke out loud for everyone else to hear. "You are attacking my primary asset, Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-117."

"What the...?" Eleven's voice was a muffled murmur.

"My protocol states clearly that I ought to seize all possible threats to SPARTAN-117 and his team by neutralizing them as effectively as possible." her grip on his neck tightened. "This means, _you die_. You are far too dangerous to be left alive."

The woman jumped off the tank and slammed Eleven on the ground again, flat on his back. The sound of his choked coughing exploded on the general comm network and John clenched his jaw. With the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Fred and Kelly moving stealthily forward, pistols in hand. So, Fred had overruled him at last.

The Chief couldn't blame him.

 _"SIGRID, NO! LET HIM GO!"_ another familiar voice invaded the channels.

A new blur of motion stormed straight from the bay doors and dashed across the area, jumping over parked vehicles and stacked crates. This new SPARTAN in grey and orange armor rammed on the other one and knocked her down, they rolled together a few meters as he sneaked an arm around her neck, pulling her away from Eleven. They struggled and struggled until the female figure imposed under the male and placed both boots on his chest, kicking him back. The man impacted hard on the side of the tank and collapsed to the floor.

The female SPARTAN stood again and returned to Eleven, who was crouching on his knees, still coughing and trembling.

She sprouted a very thin and sharp black spike from her wrist.

What happened then was really quick, or at least that was how the few remaining civilians felt about the events. The Master Chief fell back to Cortana, she was moving in with the rest of Blue Team in a diamond formation. Majestic and Bravo acknowledged his order when John moved a fist in the air, commanding them to deploy and close the perimeter. All teams drew a semi-circle approaching the tank at the far end of the bay, where the battle was still going on.

"Suppressive fire, on my mark only." he whispered.

 _"Chief, listen to me."_ started Cortana, and she ran closer to him.

"You should be in bed." John growled, after switching channels. Kelly and Linda stepped on each side of him, leveling their guns. "And now you have a lot of explaining to do, too."

_"John, no; wait! It's not what you-!"_

He closed the channel and reached for his sidearm too, although it wasn't loaded with the proper bullets. Nearby the Scorpion tank, Subject Eleven stood up lightning-fast and used his arm to divert the blade heading straight to his neck, thrusting his free arm forward. His own sword sunk through the gray and fluorescent-green figure right in the gut but she didn't even stumble. That's when things got a little weird.

The SPARTAN in grey and orange sprinted again into the fight, he was received by a boot in his face when the woman twisted her body in a rather unnatural angle and hit him, her faceplate still fixed on Eleven's. The man recoiled. However, either she was slow or Eleven was expecting the distraction, because he smacked her broadside with an arm now turned into a bludgeon, an electric shock caught her along with the blunt force of the strike. Something cracked, like bone, and there was a strangled cry of pain.

What happened then was even weirder.

 _The woman disintegrated_. She just fell apart in very small pieces, like a balloon full of sand exploding and spreading its contents in a single direction consequent with the force of trauma. A larger rectangular object, solid, fell to the ground with the rest of her ashes and rolled until it finally stopped, the black sand-like material filtered down through the gratings.

 _"The fuck is that?"_ mouthed Madsen, freaked out. _"WHAT THE FUCK?"_

 _"Shut up, Madsen!"_ ordered Lieutenant Suzuka, from the other side of the circle.

 _"Everybody, stand down! Hold your fire!"_ Captain Lasky roared in the general frequency, he and Commander Palmer had entered the bay riding a Mongoose. Lasky jumped out of the vehicle and broke the defensive circle but Kelly laid a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back, immediately. "What is this madness?"

"That is still unclear, sir." answered Fred, coldly. "Please, remain behind us."

"Master Chief? Cortana? Anyone?"

"As Blue Three said, it's still unclear, Captain."

"Master Chief, sir, permission to open fire? That thing is moving!" yelled Hoya, even more freaked out than Madsen.

Every head shot back to the fight scenario, to see how the mass of ashes piled up over itself, pouring out through the gratings from the depths of the deck and rising, as if it were alive. In a spine-chilling sequence that lasted less than twenty seconds, the mass rearranged itself into a seven-feet-tall human-like figure again and adopted once more the bulk and distinctive shape of a MJOLNIR-GEN2 armor, marked with fluorescent-green stripes. A loud, reptilian hiss flooded the comms, every single frequency.

The sound of several safety locks going off rippled in unison.

"NO, DON'T SHOOT AT HER!" the other male voice said, from the tank.

The other SPARTAN, also someone no sensor could detect, sprinted forward and tackled the woman with impressive strength before she could jump over Subject Eleven for the third time (Eleven was crawling back, holding his right arm close to his chest). They fell together and even as she struggled again to get him off her, the man imposed this time and grabbed her helmet with both hands.

His fingers _melted_ over the helmet, fusing themselves with the hard surface.

The woman started shaking, her limbs twisting and trembling in unnatural ways; then she lost control of her arms and legs and her back arched in a seemingly painful convulsion accompanied by a deep screech, like a bad radio signal.

John winced, the sound pierced through his brain and made him clench his teeth.

"STOP IT, DAMMIT!" the man in grey and orange yelled out loud, his voice was very familiar to everyone. "JUST STOP! YOU BLEW OUR COVER ALREADY!"

Lasky was the one to frown and caught his breath:

"Oh, no." he murmured, Palmer crossed an arm before him when he tried to take a step forward. "Roland, what have you done?"

"Roland?" spat Palmer, stunned.

And as suddenly as it all had started, it also ended. The female SPARTAN in gray and fluorescent-green stopped moving and fell limply to the floor, the man retrieved his hands and stood up, crawling back. The circle around that half of the busted tank closed even more as the Captain and the Master Chief strode forward, Palmer guarding Lasky's life with her own.

The man standing before them, whose breast tag read 'BEAMONT', threw both arms up and kneeled down, yielding.

"I can explain." he said, and he sounded really, really scared.

 

**SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**STRATEGIC COMMAND AISLE, BRIDGE**

**00:13 AM standard time**

 

"He had a psychotic break." Dr. Quinn said, her voice sounded grim. "I gave him a strong dose of oral antipsychotics but still, Captain, Subject Eleven as he is now is a threat to himself and everyone around. He keeps saying that _the Master Chief is making a mistake_ and that _she will never let them in_. His right arm is also broken but he won't let me treat the wound or sedate him since we can't separate him from that damn armor. The Faraday cage seems to hold him in place and calm him down for now, I suggest you keep him under custody in there for the time being." she pointed at a large screen in which several graphics appeared, results of medical scans. "His neural activity is erratic, this gets me really worried. But to find out what caused this break I'll need to perform more tests. This doesn't look good and I can't guarantee that these events aren't side-effects of his… creation, sort of speaking."

John felt a pinch of anguish inside his chest. _'Cortana'_ he thought.

His eyes fell on her petite figure for a sec, she was still in armor, head uncovered. Her skin looked very pale but she was standing firm and hugging herself, too far away for the Chief to see how her eyes were watering. He could feel how she trembled, which made him more uneasy. Blue Team, along with Majestic and Bravo were reunited in the next room, waiting to be debriefed about what just happened.

"Can he talk?" the Master Chief asked, after a short moment of silence.

The Doctor nodded. "He is lucid, yes."

"Captain, I'd like to have a word with Eleven."

Lasky's eyes opened wide, unfortunately he was more annoyed than surprised. The Captain was propped against a console, arms crossed and brow furrowed until John spoke to him.

"And what for?"

"He said I cannot get through the Fortress without him or Cortana. I want to know what he means."

"What if he's lying just because he doesn't want to be left behind?"

"I don't think he's lying, and besides, he's been on the Fortress before." John stood very still, almost defiant. "And I need him to be stable enough to train us, sir."

Now Lasky dropped his jaw, now not surprised but scandalized.

" _Train you?_ Are you kidding me?"

"If something, we need his expertise in combat."

"We don't have time for training, if I recall correctly."

The Chief tried not to show any hint of annoyance in his voice, he knew that time was against them, he knew that alright. "With all due respect, sir, I clearly stated in my brief for operation OVERKILL that I intended to have Subject Eleven running me and Blue Team through an intensive training in preparation for the mission. But now the tide has taken a far more interesting turn."

Lasky detached himself from the console and stood before the SPARTAN.

"Master Chief, I'm not following you."

John eased his tone. "Subject Eleven is a rabid dog. We can't control him, but we can point him in the right direction and set him loose. Just like with Sigrid. We have a secret weapon right there, something the Rampant Spike isn't expecting."

He let the words sink for a moment...

"You mean Sigrid and Roland's... bodies, or whatever those things are?"

"Exactly."

"You want all of them in your roster now? Including Cortana?"

"Yes."

Lasky was speechless again. Until he found his sanity and snapped:

"No. That's far too dangerous." he growled, almost too irritated for a man of his height. "I still have to make an official report, we are not even back in space and shit is already hitting the fan. I have a situation to control to keep ONI from coming here and storm our asses."

"I am with the Master Chief. It's actually pretty clever, sir." mused Palmer, from her dark corner of the aisle. "That way, _you don't even have to file a proper report_ on what happened today."

Lasky looked at her as if he couldn't recognize her face.

"I'm not sure if all of you understand the position I'm in right now." he said.

"Well, we do have a little bit of a _freehand_ , don't we?"

"That freehand will come to an end eventually, Commander. This is too risky."

There was silence for a while. Palmer was implying that the Captain should keep everything under the carpet and maybe the operation will make the rest of the evidence disappear, which was a disgusting idea but a possibility. It was disturbingly obvious for everyone and it felt incredibly disrespectful towards Cortana. She didn't speak a single word neither moved during the whole intermission, she was oddly still and her general posture had the Chief really worried. He made a mental note to catch a minute and talk to her later.

Lasky sighed, in the end, and shook his head.

"Alright, everyone dismissed. I will inform you of my decision at 0800, I need to think carefully about this."

He saluted and John responded, Cortana left the room before the SPARTAN could stop her and when the door closed after the Doctor, Sarah Palmer closed in and dropped a hand over the Captain's shoulder.

"Don't you find it a little odd that after this incredibly noisy mess we're still here?" she commented, calmly, looking through the double-shielded-glass window into the main landing bay. "And we still have our heads."

"Yes. ONI should've stepped in by now." Lasky replied, in the same tone.

"There's no way Parangosky doesn't know about this, with Osman in coma she is the biggest snake on the nest."

"Section-III want us to move forward. They wants us to find the Fortress."

"Now it might be a good time to get my own counterop ready, Captain.."

"I couldn't agree more, Commander."

"And what do we do with the _other business_?"

"They stay in lockdown until we figure something out. The _Infinity_ isn't crippled without Roland here, the other dumb AIs can manage. The mission is our top priority now and if Glassman says Sigrid and Roland will be contained where they are right now, that's enough."

Palmer saluted again and aimed for the door, to leave.

But before crossing the threshold into the hallway, she turned back, serious.

"I know it sounds crazy if I say it, but I really think the Chief just gave us a great solution to our problems, right there. Just think about it, Tom. Good night."

 

**DATE NOT RECORDED**

**LOCATION NOT RECORDED**

**standard time not recorded**

 

She was imprisoned inside a box. Sigrid never considered the possibility of being limited, or at least, her concept of 'limited' was more about calculations per nanosecond rather than physical space _to move_. When you were able to walk by yourself, to touch and smell, to see and hear with your own eyes and ears instead of processing thousands of distant cameras' feeds, being literally and figuratively trapped was more _suffocating_ than running out of RAM. After a quick systems check, she related her current status to an anxiety attack.

She was panicking.

There was no sound inside the cage. Nothing to see beyond gray walls, nowhere to go further than nine squared meters of blank space, not even a chair to sit or a camera lens to stare at. Nothing interesting to touch. No other scent aside from a trace of some chlorine-based disinfectant used to keep the place clean. Even the air tasted of chlorine and she found it disgusting.

The AI adopted a form that she considered harmless, the humans certainly didn't understand her reasoning. A seven-feet-tall naked human female with broad shoulders, strong hips and well-defined muscle on arms and legs, coated in skin that looked like polished black plastic, wasn't exactly reassuring. But this was the form she had chosen to show, and she was going to maintain it.

She wondered when they would get her out. Would they get her out, at all?

She should have listened to Roland.

Sigrid checked the status bars on her chest, the battery's display. 87% charge. She was still safe. That battery should last for weeks, and it wasn't even the best model she could get. If she could get her hands on the power source of a MJOLNIR-GEN2, then she'd be able to move freely for years.

Stupid Roland.

He wasted his opportunity, and ruined hers.

At least, the Master Chief was left unharmed. Sigrid was desperate to know what happened after Roland deactivated her, but every time she broadcasted in search for any link to tap in, the responses came back empty. She knew that the responses will always come back empty, but she kept trying every thirty seconds.

She was trapped, and she was starting to lose her mind.

 

**SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**ENGINEERING DECK**

**1:45 AM standard time**

 

"You deliberately hid information and activities from your commanding officers, Roland."

The Captain was very much aware of how dangerous could it be to remain in the same room as this... creature (he couldn't be sure that it was actually Roland, the AI he knew and trusted), but there he was. To be completely honest, the little room was kind of claustrophobic and grey, almost too gray to function. Against Sarah's advice, against Dr. Glassman's warnings, Lasky still went in and faced Roland. He was in there because Cortana had the last word, because she told him that no harm would come to him, that this _thing_ that looked like a human made of black plastic was still Roland.

She couldn't guarantee his safety, but she said he could reason with the being.

And for some weird reason, Lasky chose to trust her above everyone else.

The embodied Roland dipped his head, expressing guilt.

"I only proceeded under insurance that nobody would be hurt, sir."

"I'm still trying to understand what's going on, and now I have a Warthog shred to pieces, a Pelican that can't fly because the Master Chief crashed on one of the engines and destroyed it, structural damages to the _Infinity_ itself and a Scorpion tank that lost its main cannon. Who will pay for that, and how do we account this for without explaining what caused the damages?"

"Equipment is retrievable and replaceable, sir. Human lives aren't. I can assure you that Sigrid and I kept that in mind all the time."

"And the paperwork..."

"I can handle that." insisted Roland, cutting off the Captain in mid-sentence. The AI leaned in, eager to make his point. "Sir, I can handle all of this. You just have to say yes and look the other way."

Lasky frowned even more. He didn't like the implications of that.

If Roland was already acting like this, where would this free-will behavior end up? If he could escape the physical limitations of the ship's network and now he had a body to move around, what else would he do? Not that being limited to the ship wasn't already dangerous enough, Roland could murder everyone in the _Infinity_ if he wanted so, he had to unseal the landing bays and open all the airlocks and that would be just the easy, quick way.

A shiver ran up the Captain's spine.

What was he supposed to do with this? He had two rogue AIs and he should hand them over to ONI. That was protocol. He could request an immediate decommission under charges of early stages of rampancy. But that would be wrong, because Roland and Sigrid weren't rampant. Cortana had explained that much, and even when Lasky wasn't a scientist, he understood what happened to them.

He couldn't say he wasn't impressed (scared to death too, but impressed).

And there was also the Master Chief's offer.

Now he had a lot to think about, that was for sure.

 

**SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**S-DECK RECREATIONAL AISLE**

**2:33 AM standard time**

 

John couldn't sleep.

Cortana didn't want to talk to him, for some reason. She left the meeting room and ignored his attempts to communicate, leaving him alone to face his own demons on the hallway. Now he couldn't sleep and he had nothing better to do than to go over his plan over and over again, since he was off duty; only to convince himself a little more with every reading that he needed to speak with Eleven.

Eleven had been right. He had information that they needed.

In a gesture quite improper of him, John propped a boot over the table and leaned back in the chair, blowing off a very deep sigh.

Kelly stepped in the small resting room, ducking the door's frame. She was in her armor but didn't carry any important guns other than her standard issue sidearm and her fists; her whole stance stiffened when she saw him there, in training uniform. Either she wasn't expecting to find him, or she was and his mere sight was more troubling that what she had anticipated.

"Good evening, sir. Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Couldn't sleep." he replied, leaving the battle-scarred tac-pad on the table.

"Any news on today's events?"

"Nothing much. I have a meeting with the Captain at 0800, then Blue Team will have the big mission brief. It all depends on the meeting."

She looked down, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

"What is it, Kelly?" the Chief asked, he would recognize that sign of impatience anywhere, especially on her.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Go ahead."

"What's wrong, John?"

"Elaborate." he replied, dryly.

"Fred has this _feeling_. It's bugging him enough to bug me and Linda. Even more after what we saw earlier today at the landing bay, I must say."

"And you got the shortest straw."

"Something like that."

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"You don't just _call for aid_."

"I know when I'm being overrun and in need of backup."

Evasive answers? That was new. Kelly placed a hand on her hip, calmly.

"Bullshit." she spat, her voice sounded soft and caring.

Kelly knew very well that she had absolutely no need to raise her voice.

Neither had he, John was willing to give her a proper answer:

"The three of you are the only people I can truly rely on to finish this if I fail." he murmured, staring at the roof over their heads.

Kelly gave him a look that pretty much meant that she wasn't pleased to confirm Fred's bugs. She didn't know what to think now. John wasn't the kind of man that would openly admit that he wasn't sure of accomplishing anything, he was the most positive-minded person she knew, the one that always kept the team moving, focused and strong. He was their beacon in a sea of fire.

She didn't know what to do with a leader who couldn't trust himself at this point.

"Is it that bad?" she said, and pressed her lips on a tight line.

"It's bad enough."

For a brief moment all that there was between them was silence.

The SPARTAN stood straight when the Chief raised from his chair to salute her. She answered respectfully, acknowledging that she was being dismissed. It made her all the more curious about what was going on.

"You're different, John." Kelly added, she didn't turn away to leave. "I don't know what it is, but you are different."

John was the one to abandon the room, instead.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Damn, this was another LONG chapter that took me forever. I couldn't give it to my beta for proofreading, so if you found any mistakes, my bad. Let's leave it like that. A LOT OF THINGS happened! Wow. I bet you have a lot of things to say too, go ahead and say them! :) We're soooo fucked! Eleven is fucked, Sigrid and Roland are fucked, everyone is fucked!

**Make sure you don't miss next chapter because the _Infinity_ is going back to SPACE and beyond! Be here next Sunday and please, please, please, leave your feedback!**


	34. Shadow Recruit

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

**33\. SHADOW RECRUIT**

(I finished this barely minutes before posting, sorry if there are any mistakes)

 

**PROBABLY SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: FORERUNNER DREADNOUGHT _FIRELIGHT_**

**standard time unknown**

 

Something had happened.

She wasn't sure of _what_ (the moments of clarity were more diluted every time) but it was _something big_. She trusted the numbers, so she wasn't really worried about that part. The numbers were safe, they were reliable as long as she played nice with them.

The numbers said they were in the right place and that the time was also right.

Then why was everyone so upset?

Subject Two stood close to the bridge's entrance. There were no shadows inside the ship, so technically there was no place to hide if she wanted to listen without being adverted. She didn't understand Sangheili anyway, but Halsey was having a heated argument with the Shipmaster. She pressed her body closer to the wall, minding her arm. This ship was different from the one she had been living in for the past few days; it was brighter, warmer and it looked a lot better, with shimmering turquoise lights here and there, a system easy to access and a lot of calculations to amuse herself. It was also easier to operate, like breathing. But despite her silent confidence, Dr. Halsey didn't seem to be that impressed or content with the current situation.

More angry voices shouting, Sangheili and human with equal strength.

Two helped her get where she wanted to go, why was Halsey so mad?

She backed away and hid her small, trembling frame behind a pillar, sensing the ship's _thoughts_ through the palm of her unharmed hand.

They found the better ship, they made the right calculations and they crossed the great gates. Sure, they also had lost around half of the ship's crew doing so (some of them lost the top half, others lost the lower half, the chaos was very noisy) but Halsey knew that the numbers would take what they deemed as theirs, that the ship was better but it didn't mean there would be no consequences after ripping the space open the way they did. She tried to warn Halsey about the missing equation, but the Doctor wouldn't listen (or she didn't understand, Two wasn't very good with words).

They were in a hurry, apparently.

Now she had taken Halsey and her tall and scary saurian friends to _that place_ , the place Eleven made her swear she would never go back.

Subject Two didn't do it entirely against her will, she was tempted by the numbers and couldn't help it; Halsey gave her a crystal with many formulas and she spent the rest of that day cracking them. It was so fun to solve the equations. She was very happy. But the mere moment she returned the crystal with the problem solved back into to Halsey's hand, she knew it would get bad. This Catherine was as pushy as the other Catherine, if not even more. She wanted to go to that place more than anything, she wanted both the Absolute Record and the Fortress; maybe she craved for the Fortress the most.

Two was terrified. She knew that _the others_ would be there. She was afraid of the others. Well, Four, Five and Six were nice to her, Eight pretended she didn't exist at all and Ten was most of the time too busy to care about anything else besides reading the millions of languages she could reach, but Seven and Nine...

Seven and Nine were the worst. Especially Seven.

Seven was really scary, she was always angry and she had _this smile_.

It was the very same smile they all used to draw on their lips whenever they had a happy thought about John, but Seven's smile was tainted with bad omens. Seven didn't mean well for John. Seven always said he was the cause of their misery, that they would never be complete again because he was too weak to do what was required.

Three was gone. It made her really sad. Three had been nice to them, at least when they were close to one another.

To avoid further conflict, Eleven helped her escape and made her promise that she would never lead anyone to get where it all began, and Two wasn't planning to do that. First, there was the Fortress, then there was the Bridge and finally, the Inner Chambers. She knew the way, the safe way, but she wasn't telling. Her broken arm still hurt and she didn't want to see Seven again.

She was certain that Seven would be there.

And she was planning something bad, for that was all Seven was capable of.

 

**SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS, OFFICER'S DECK**

**05:20 AM standard time**

 

"You are sure about this." the Captain said quietly.

The SPARTAN before him nodded once, the iridescent faceplate gave nothing away except for silent commitment. Lasky still had his doubts about the plan but since Subject Eleven had passed with flying colors all the psych evaluations and basic med-scans, there was only distrust holding back the decision.

None of them had slept well, the Captain less than four hours and the SPARTAN barely forty-five minutes. There was just too much electricity in the air, enough to keep the nerves on edge. The Master Chief's 'intensive training' schedule was due to last less than fifteen hours, and it would be more like a very prolonged brief rather than an actual exercise, although a live-fire exercise was scheduled at the end of the day. That wasn't a comfortable thought either.

Fate was forcing his hand, perhaps. Lasky sighed deeply.

"Fine, it's your call, Master Chief. You can have him. But Subject Eleven will be handcuffed all the time and yours and your team's weapons must be loaded with anti-HARPY piercing rounds by default. He refuses to disengage his armor, so the meeting will be held in a secured room, and only Blue Team, Cortana and Commander Palmer will be attending. I want everyone armored as much as armed, you and your team have permission to eliminate the target if the situation goes South. There will be no record of this, not even a second of audio. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"I don't think this is the better course of action, frankly."

"I understand your concerns."

"Yeah, well, I don't understand why you changed your mind about the operation, either. I mean, using Sigrid in her current state is somewhat beyond sane and yet makes some sense, we have to do something about her and Roland anyway. But taking Cortana and Eleven, after you decided... what happened?"

"I reconsidered it. As they are, Cortana, Eleven and Twelve are high-importance assets and they mustn't fall in the wrong hands. It's a well-known protocol, sir, and I am willing to do what is needed."

Lasky frowned, narrowing his eyes as well.

"You prefer _to have her die with you_ before ONI could take her?" he said, slowly.

The Master Chief held position, eerily still. "Lord Hood was clear about what to do in the event of third-party intervention."

 _'That's not what I asked you.'_ the Captain thought, mildly irritated. Lord Hood's orders were to make the assets disappear, of course he wasn't implying killing them but it would have to be a combined effort between the _Infinity_ 's brass and the Chief Medical Officer. Instead, he said out loud the next thing he thought. "Yes, I suppose the best way to get rid of them would be _getting rid of the evidence_ in the first place. Because your extraction plan seems a little... tight, sort of speaking. It would take an immense amount of timing, if not luck, to pull together what you are planning."

"We will make it." the SPARTAN's voice was reassuring, confident.

"Why would you rather ask Eleven about this instead of Cortana?

The Chief didn't hesitate: "I have questions for her too, sir."

 

**SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ DOCKED IN RIO DE JANEIRO**

**ENGINE ROOM**

**7:54 AM standard time**

 

Still wearing her armor, Cortana looked at the time on her tac-pad.

Everything seemed to be in order, the balancing equation coupled nicely with the rest of the calculations. The repairs were finished against the clock, every piece of scrap tech retrieved from the _Wanderer_ (the Forerunner Dreadnought) was already in sync with the hybrid systems and the crystalline array of the energy supercore seemed stable too. So far, so good. She pressed the data-pad against her breastplate and looked down below the guardrail, to the massive engines.

The crystalline array was a stabilizing structure. Set in an hexagon-shaped display over a massive cooling system around the main casket, six pillars of transparent glass, ten feet tall, filtered the raw energy deflecting it from one to the other in crisscrossed paths until it finally exited from a manifold on top of the supercore, steadily. A cyan beam flowed up into a transformer, a bulky device with gigantic cooling turbines which later redirected the power straight towards the _Infinity_ 's hybrid engines. There was a permanent, thick fog down there, liquid nitrogen flowed through the pipes and impacted against white-hot materials in a rate of gallons per second. Momentarily, the transformer was decomposing power to standard values; however, in order to create the slip-space fracture, the device would have to be removed. Power had to flow raw straight from the supercore, and that would be quite a feat.

Then, the fireworks would come.

 _It had to work_. Cortana clutched at the data pad with trembling fingers.

 _"Attention, ladies and gentlemen."_ said the dumb AI currently in charge, her deep but feminine voice echoed in every piece of metal and polymer, reaching every corner of the enormous room. _"All personnel, please find the nearest safety post and strap on. T-minus five minutes, thirty six seconds to begin lift-off. The Captain would like to thank you all for your efforts up to date, keep up that good work, crew."_

Cortana sighed, thinking about how fake that AI sounded giving a compliment, and spread her feet. The armored boots hissed and shifted slightly, she was now locked to the gratings.

"Figured you'd be here."

Her armor didn't warn her about his presence, naturally, but Cortana didn't fret.

Since she wasn't wearing the helmet, the woman looked over her shoulder to find the Master Chief's familiar faceplate, he was standing about a yard behind her. Then, he approached and stood by her left side, non-threateningly.

"Are you here to scold me for skipping Dr. Quinn's schedule?" she asked.

"Amongst other things."

"I don't need the schedule anymore, read this and cry." Cortana leveled her data-pad and tapped on the surface to send a file towards the Chief's HUD. "Results from this morning. I'm perfectly fine, Dr. Quinn doesn't know if she has to be furious about it or just confused."

He stood still for less than two minutes, reading.

"The armor." John whispered, afterwards. "It healed you. As it first healed your memory, as it healed me when Seven almost cut my arms off. That's why Eleven refuses to disengage his armor, it's mending his broken arm."

"Most likely. He knows more than what he says, anyway."

"Cortana..."

"How are Roland and Sigrid doing?" she asked, after clearing her throat.

The woman looked at the enormous engines faking interest. The electromagnetic interference was scrambling their comms so nobody would hear their conversation, but what he had to say (if John was willing to say it, that is) she wasn't ready to hear it. Her memory was still quite fresh and sore with the idea of using Eleven as an attack dog, sending him to his death. It hurt because in the same line of thought, the concept could be applied to her own existence and although she knew that John just said it to ease the Captain's mind, it was shocking to hear it. He wouldn't do that to her, right?

She peeked at John with the corner of her eye, uncomfortable.

The Master Chief kept the silence a few seconds, then answered: "Still in solitary lockdown."

"This is unfair, they did nothing wrong. The Captain knows it."

"Cortana, we need to talk."

She sighed. "I know."

 _End of the line_. Cortana pressed her lips together and frowned. Two technicians walked behind them and went for the elevator, the engine room was about to be cleared. She thought of it and the HARPY shifted around her shoulders building the helmet around her head, and once the inner pressure of the suit stabilized, she wrapped her hand on John's wrist to establish a stronger comm link. She felt the warm presence of his conscience brushing oh so gently against hers; the connection was intimate and comfortable, almost like sharing the same body, almost like old times. The feeling eased her heartbeats and breaths, synching them with his.

 _"What's going on?"_ he asked, through the link. _"You've been avoiding me."_

 _"I'm afraid, John."_ she murmured, her voice didn't betray her words. _"I don't think I've ever felt this way before, it's like... I feel like I'm running across a tunnel, I can see where it ends but the exit keeps getting away from me no matter how fast I run to reach it. I don't know what comes next, and it scares me."_

_"That's why we have a plan."_

_"Don't play dumb, Chief. That's not what I mean."_

_"One thing at a time, Cortana. We can only deal with this right now, we'll handle the next problem when we are set to face it."_

_"That's not what I mean either."_

_"Then, what are you trying to say?"_

_"There's no future, not for you and me, at least. I can't see what comes next."_

He didn't answer right away, because he wasn't expecting to hear that.

_"Like I said, one thing at a time. We solve this problem now."_

_"Eleven is losing his mind, I feel the aches too. What if I try to kill you as he did?"_

_"Eleven also said that, of the twelve subjects, you were the one with the greatest potential. That you were the closest of them all to the former Cortana AI. You will be fine. I will find the way to keep you safe."_

She wanted to cry, for some reason.

Cortana blinked fast to prevent the tears, she was certain that he could feel her alteration through the link. Maybe that's why John's head turned slightly towards her, as if he were peeking.

The lights on the room faded and the engines abandoned standby mode as the lift-off sequence started. It was 0800. The electromagnetic interference increased as much as the deafening roar of the turbines, coolant pumps and the engines themselves. All exit doors were now locked in place and the lighting changed from white to amber, the safety protocol was active. John grabbed the guardrail with his free hand.

_"What if... she is there?"_

The Chief turned to look at her this time, curious. _"Who?"_

_"Cortana. The actual Cortana. What if she exists in that place, complete, waiting for you? Have you thought about that? Because I have. And if there is even a chance that the construct managed to survive and rebuild itself, I don't know what I'm going to do. That is the worst part. It scares me, because I know that you will..."_

_"Stop."_

The floor trembled beneath their feet, a deep rumbling that made Cortana's teeth rattle and suddenly she felt too heavy, her knees protested. Acceleration was kicking in and the HARPY shifted a little to reinforce the inner pressure of the suit.

_"You will go to her. Because she is the real thing and I am just a defective copy."_

_"Cortana, stop."_

He unexpectedly broke the link between their hands but before any of them could feel the abandon, John grabbed her by the elbow in a demanding gesture. She gasped, a little startled, and her head turned to face him.

_"You are here, with me. You are the real thing."_

The Chief let her go a little later, but as the engines kept accelerating and the deep roar grew louder, John's hand moved enough to slide his fingers against hers, the back of their armored gloves brushing each other. It wasn't an accident, and that was as much as he felt he could do. The link was weak but warmer than ever.

She couldn't hold back the tears and this time, she let them flow down her cheeks.

 _"And I won't lose you again."_ he promised, more to himself that to her.

 

**SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ EN ROUTE OUT OF THE SOL SYSTEM**

**BRIEFING ROOM, S-DECK**

**1:11 PM standard time**

 

"Tell us everything you know about the Fortress." ordered Commander Palmer.

Linda was leaning back in her chair, right arm propped on the table; her hand was covering the handle of her standard issue pistol, the weapon lying down on its side and her index finger carefully hovering over the trigger, a fresh clip of anti-HARPY ammo just loaded and checked.

The look in her piercing green eyes was calm, almost relaxed, but her finger was ready to take the shot. A very deadly shot.

Subject Eleven was facing the digital board-wall, his head uncovered but the rest of his body still wrapped in angry-red and polished-black armor. At first it didn't seem like he had heard the woman speak, but then he snapped out of it and his eyes recovered lucidity. He nodded and focused on the audience; four armored SPARTANS, his older sister, Cortana, and the Commander, who was also ready to jump into action. The place resembled a classroom, the soldiers were sitting behind adequately sized tables, holding tac-pads and their weapons.

"Where would you like to start, specifically?"

"Layout." that was John, the sound of his voice drew Eleven's attention.

The two men looked at each other, no trace of resentment on their faces.

Eleven leaned into the board-wall and touched it with his shoulder, since both of his hands were locked at the small of his back and his feet had limited mobility. The display activated and through the touch, Eleven transmitted to the holographic projector a complicated schematic, it resembled a map drawn by hand. It was a memory.

"The Fortress is a labyrinth." he started, sluggishly. The drugs were still running through his system despite the HARPY's efforts to clean his blood and fix his broken arm. "It's like a forest-sized data center, it has many directions and things can get pretty weird after a while, time flows differently inside its borders. I got lost in there a few times... it's really tricky."

"How did you make it out?" asked Kelly,

"With some _extra_ help." he answered, his voice a bit lower, then cleared his throat and kept going: "If we make it safely across the Fortress we will find the entrance to the Bridge, it's the middle point. There's where the interesting things happen. It's both a bridge in the traditional sense and in the navy slang, a transition point between the regular Universe into the Domain itself, sort of like a control room. More like a control city, it's smaller than the Fortress but most likely bigger than this ship. If we are bound to find trouble, it certainly will be at the Bridge."

"What kind of trouble?" John again, sharply.

"We'll get to that later, now pay attention." Eleven actually growled, showing off his teeth. Linda's finger twitched over the trigger of the gun. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath and the schematic shifted into a different design, circular and intricate, with a wide blank area right in the middle: "If we make it past the Bridge, the last barrier is to breach the Inner Circle. I really don't know what this thing is, I've never been there because it's sealed, so I don't know what's inside or what happens in there. I just know that I can't get in, at least not in the traditional sense, so I suppose this is a very sensitive spot and that's our final destination. I believe that if we successfully breach the Inner Circle, we will be entering the Domain."

"We won't have to go that far." Cortana crossed her arms, confidently.

"The best location to place the Havoks would be at the Bridge." commented Fred, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "That way we can separate the Fortress from the rest of the facility."

"We don't know what anomalies the mere explosion could cause." said Cortana.

"It's still our best shot. We are going there to blow it up in pieces, right?"

John leaned back on his chair, still looking at Eleven: "If the Bridge is the control room, then we have to get Cortana safely there so she can erase the Rampant Spike from the Domain, basically."

Eleven hesitated, but then nodded. "... basically, yes."

Cortana gave her sibling a doubtful look. John frowned a little, he didn't like the way Eleven faltered to give an answer right away, but Kelly was stretching her arms up her head and her long legs under the table:

"Sounds easy." she said. "Too easy. I bet there's a catch."

"There is. Well, sort of. Aside from the fact that I'm sure that there will be trouble waiting for us, turns out that Two, Twelve and I were extracted from the Fortress via slip-space portal, it took our Pelican to a safe destination away from the Fortress itself. So technically I've never seen the Fortress from the outside and I don't know how to _get in_. It is supposed to be impenetrable, hence its name."

Fred leaned in over the table, now it was his turn to frown.

"Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately." Eleven cleared his throat again. "I don't even know how it looks like. And she doesn't know either."

"That's true." Cortana admitted, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I spent my time at the Bridge, I know my way around and that part, I have it covered. Eleven, Six and Nine were the ones fond of exploring."

"Well, shit." murmured Linda, pursing her lips.

"Set a reconnaissance first." decided John, his arms now crossed. Linda gave him a quick, puzzled look and her eyes went back to the target. "We have to find the Fortress and analyze it. We will find the door and ram our way in until we reach the Bridge. We split up in teams of two and place the Havoks while Cortana does her thing, then we're out. We will set the bombs' timers once we know how much time it took us to find the spot. Straight assault, plain and simple, it has to be fast enough to prevent any backfire and any counterattack."

"How about what he said?" commented Kelly. "Weird time anomalies?"

"I have that part covered too."

The following silence was a little upsetting, to say the least.

"Now the extraction plan makes more sense." snorted Fred, not amused.

"The extraction plan is _appropriate_." said the Chief. "The _Infinity_ delivers us as close as possible to the Fortress, we deploy via Broadsword and then the _Infinity_ jumps away. We go dark from then on. If we make it out alive, I'm sure we can find our way back to the UNSC controlled space."

"Yeah, how about NO?" Eleven growled. "You're right, Chief, this needs direct, definitive assault; shoot first, ask questions maybe... but this isn't aggressive enough. If I were Seven, I'd be waiting for us _with an entire army_."

Eleven let his words sink for a moment, looking straight at the Chief's eyes.

One of John's eyebrows twitched lightly. Very lightly. He had thought of that too.

"Why is it that she hasn't showed her ugly face around yet?" Eleven continued, since nobody said anything. " _She knows we're coming and she's getting ready to receive us_. Look, I trust your gut, but in this particular scenario I know that whatever you're thinking, it falls short. It won't be that easy."

"I wasn't counting on easy." John answered, calmly. "Any suggestions?"

"I'd double the Havoks and the anti-HARPY ammo load right away. I know we'll need them. Which means we need better weapons, I'll oversee the modifications with Dr. Clayton's crew if I'm allowed."

"The extraction plan still doesn't make any sense." mused Fred, serious.

"Like he said, we will still have the Broadsword." Kelly said, trying to bring peace between the combat siblings with a small smile. "That is, if I'm piloting. We know what happens when the Chief is driving."

"It's a damn shame that I destroyed the two slip-space portal generators we had." Cortana sighed. "That way we would have a safe extraction plan, it would be as easy as walking our way out."

"You did well, Seven is in the dark thanks to that."

Cortana looked at John as he said that. Now she was convinced that this was the craziest idea ever, maybe he wasn't thinking straight. Or if he was, she wasn't capable of anticipating his game and that bothered her to no end. She hated not to know what was going on in his head.

"Is that the trouble you meant before?" asked Fred, still a little concerned. They had been over with the briefing on what the Subjects were and the tragic events from the previous month about half an hour ago, it wasn't a fun lecture for anyone in Blue Team. Their overall reaction to Cortana and Eleven themselves was mixed between curiosity and mistrust, and nobody could really blame them. "You think Subject Seven might be building an army of copies like her? Is that what you suggest?"

"I don't think so, _I know_. I can guarantee it."

"Because you can predict her behavior." added Fred.

"If I had at my disposal the technology to create as many soldiers as I wanted and fuck everything up, I'd take it gladly just for the sake of being a pain in the ass." Eleven looked at the ceiling, annoyed.

"Easy there." snapped Cortana, her voice was soothing.

Her younger sibling licked his lips and nodded, taking another deep breath.

"I'm losing it." he murmured. "I won't be of much use in this state, so please, just listen to me. We have to act quickly. Let me help Dr. Clayton to improve your weapons while I still can."

All the eyes in the room, including the Commander's shifted to look at the Chief.

"Are you sure you can do that?" he asked.

"I know everything about killing, remember?" Eleven cocked an eyebrow. "That includes weaponry and whatnot."

"Fine. Linda, you will be doing most of the sniping. Tell him what you need."

"Yes, sir."

"Kelly and Fred, choose your weapons and do the same."

"Would we have time to test them, afterwards?" asked Fred, cautious.

"I would be heavily disappointed if you didn't." John nodded.

The other two SPARTANS nodded too in sheer agreement. Fred didn't seem very content with the idea of leaving his weapons in the hands of a mentally unstable person, but even as he was technically CO of Blue Team, he accepted John's command without hesitation. His mind was already thinking strategically in order to aid the mission plan as it was, not to overrule it.

Commander Sarah Palmer was quietly propped against the sealed exit door, her attentive eyes darting from one to the other as the people before her spoke. In the few hours she'd been supervising Blue Team's training-brief almost without saying anything, she grew more and more reverent of them. It was somewhat bewildering to watch them, with their minimalist gestures and always composed faces, something in them was built as machines and it was all the more evident in SPARTANS 104, 087 and 058; but they were all made of the same steel and temper, like siblings. She'd never seen this degree of understanding and harmony in a fire-team, ever.

Palmer was amazed, to say the least, but she tried not to show it that much.

"Now, regarding Subject Seven." this time, Kelly took the lead. "How fast do you think she _really_ is?"

 

**SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ , UNDISCLOSED RENDEZVOUS POINT**

**6:56 AM standard time**

 

"Everything is ready. This is the moment of truth." whispered Cortana.

At the _Infinity_ 's bridge, Captain Thomas Lasky gave the order. Green to go.

At the engine room, Dr. Henry Glassman typed the keyword into the system and disconnected the power transformer unit. The room trembled and the fog increased as the liquid nitrogen poured over the boiling machinery. The cyan lighting became really bright, almost blinding.

At the engineering deck, Cortana and a handful of technicians stared hopefully at the multiple screens and consoles before their eyes, the woman was checking as many variables as she could manage at the same time. Temperature increasing, the core and the engines were close to ready. She typed a few commands and with a sliding control, she released more energy from the supercore to the engines in gradual stages. She kept a close look on the graphics, again. If it happened too fast, the machinery could overheat and explode, or suffer a power surge and explode, or fall out of synch and probably explode too. They could end up in pieces, for whatever the reason.

The whole ship shuddered and John, who was at the K-9 quarters at the moment, felt it through his armor. 

When the graphics reached the desired values, Cortana typed her access code and entered the destination coordinates. The system worked on them for a few seconds and when she was about to catch her breath, all the screens flared in green. The _Infinity_ 's hull shuddered once more and then it all stopped.

Literally, it all _stopped_.

Cortana saw her stylus detach itself from the console and float in the air, as if the artificial gravity had been disconnected. She turned her head to see, and everyone was quiet. She frowned.

At the bridge, Captain Lasky was the first to acknowledge that something strange was happening. First, all the navigation personnel was very still in their stations, like frozen, but he could perfectly move. He took two steps and the screens of the strategic command aisle went blank, filled with white noise. Tom winced and quickly removed his earpiece, a deep screech was the only audible noise in the main channel. He turned around to look at Sarah, she was as still as a statue.

For Sarah Palmer, however, it was the opposite. She moved and Tom was frozen.

John backed his hand away from Charley's fur when he noticed the dog was rigid with her heavy head lying on his armored thigh, she wasn't even breathing. And there were a lot of rubber balls, reinforced harnesses, collars and other small items floating around him, in very slow motion.

Then, there was a sound like thunder, deep and raspy, artificial.

It moved across the ship, sweeping from bow to stern like a wave, the air _vibrated_ _and disintegrated_ visibly before everyone's eyes they acknowledged the weird stillness of their comrades.

It was there when time bent over itself, space bent over time and reality bent over time and space, physics and logics laid together creating monsters and everything mixed up in a twisted formula; past, present, future, true, false, what if and what not. The space cracked and ripped open, and the ship crossed over this perfect gate, its precious living cargo safe from the tyranny of the numbers by an insubstantial shield, a mathematical formula designed to keep them true as they deconstructed and rebuilt themselves at the other side. The wave crossed the ship scanning the humans' minds, giving them visions that, once the journey had ended, they would never remember. But in the thirty seconds it all lasted, they saw unimaginable things, heard impossible sounds and felt the very essence of ghosts and life on every cell.

It was beyond science, beyond understanding. It was primordial and raw.

At 0659, the UNSC _Infinity_ broke the laws of physics.

At 0700, the UNSC _Infinity_ was somewhere else, somewhere nobody had been in the past hundred thousand years.

 

**PROBABLY SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2558**

**LOCATION: UNSC _INFINITY_ OUT OF MAPPED SPACE**

**NAVIGATION AISLE, BRIDGE**

**7:23 AM standard time**

 

"Sir, we just checked for the fifth time. Nothing." said Ensign Webber.

Captain Lasky turned to look at Cortana and Dr. Glassman, hopeless.

"What is happening?" he asked, impatient. "Did we have a malfunction?"

Glassman pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, nervous.

"Honestly, sir, I don't know. The AIs are reading the stars but so far they couldn't find any recognizable constellations, we have no idea where we are. If I recall correctly, Roland anticipated once that the coordinates leaded somewhere far outside of UNSC mapped space."

"We are **_not_** lost in the middle of nowhere, right?" Lasky insisted, stubbornly.

"Well, we are in the middle of nowhere."

"Where is the Fortress, then?"

All eyes looked at Cortana. She was calm but underneath her cool appearance her mind was racing, cold sweat was running down her spine. That was a good question, a very good question. So far all they had were small asteroids adrift in space, a few hundred crewmen and Marines with severe nosebleeds and one or two distant comets, but nothing else, not even a planetary system or lone star on the near vicinity. Nothing inside the _Infinity_ 's range of scan.

"Obviously, it isn't here." stated Glassman, as if he was the one to answer.

"No, it is _here_. It has to be." Cortana inflicted, stubborn. For a short moment, she stood there looking at the tiny stars that filled the screens. Then she took a deep breath, her eyebrows rising: "Just not exactly _before our eyes_. It's in slip-space. That's why it can't be found, because it isn't in normal space."

"A stationary object in slip-space? That's impossible." Glassman almost snorted.

She turned to her, her blue eyes shined with a defiant blaze:

"If this is Precursor technology, who cares about what's possible and what isn't? They built the Domain. Think about it: this location it's so hard to find because _it wasn't part of the Forerunner network to begin with_. This installation should've been destroyed when the Halo array was fired for the first time, a hundred thousand of years ago. The Fortress should have _died_ with it, with the Domain... but maybe, _just maybe_ , a small fraction of the Domain survived because of this. If Dr. Halsey somehow got there before us, she might have stumped into the ultimate database, Forerunner and _everything_ else. Absolutely everything. An incomputable amount of information. Any AI in contact with this would go rampant in a matter of minutes."

"... okay, I think you're speculating a little too much."

"Send in a probe. Same coordinates, drop it into slip-space, as deep as possible."

Captain Lasky didn't hesitate. He turned to his Ensigns.

"Deploy the probes, now. Ten of them, use different diving equations. Give them fifteen minutes each."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

Cortana didn't wait for any comment or for Glassman to speak any other of his so-called 'great ideas', she manned the nearest console and tapped in the engineering deck's network to extract files. It would be quite easier if Roland or Sigrid were around. Blood and excitement were boiling in her veins, her head hurt again. Her vision was becoming blurry as the headache increased and then faded like a wave. Her forehead was shinning with sweat, it was great that John wasn't there to see her like this.

She should have stayed in her armor, the HARPY would keep the pain away.

Ensign Webber transmitted to Cortana ten different data feeds from the probes, as each of them fell into slip-space. Six signals were lost within three minutes, the other four remained steady and transmitting for over eight minutes, enough time to perform a complete scan of their surroundings. Probe ten, however, was still diving and it kept doing so for a while.

Nothing. Cortana couldn't see anything but darkness.

Suddenly, probe number ten stopped moving and its feeds changed from no-signal black to an eerie white. No white noise, just pure _white screen_. When Cortana opened that feed and brought it into the main comms channel, filling all the screens with this empty frame, a distant and muffled rumbling sound became perceptible.

It was the scariest thing she ever heard, it froze her blood. She recognized it.

The visuals shifted slightly as the probe adjusted the visibility with filters, but the video only became grainy and distorted.

"Sir... probe number ten found something. The signal is weak and we might lose it; it seems that there is a massive structure just about a hundred thousand kilometers from our current location. The measurements are tricky, we can't get a good reading, but unless this is some weird slip-space anomaly, _it's there_. Deep in slip-space, I mean. It doesn't seem to be moving either."

Glassman's glasses fell off his nose, but he was lucky enough to catch them.

"A stationary object in slip-space." he mumbled, astonished.

Cortana grasped the sides of the console so tight that she almost broke a nail.

"That's it." she murmured, mostly to herself. "That _sound_. That's it."

As shocked as he was, Lasky heard her almost silent words and didn't think twice about his next order: "Seize those equations, Ensign. Everyone, man your stations, we're diving in. This is what we came here for."

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

When the _Infinity_ emerged from the second jump, she bathed in sunlight.

The beauty of a warm, pure white poured through every screen, as it were filtering through the very walls of the ship. At first it was impossible to see anything clearly, not until filter after filter, the advanced perimeter scanners of the Infinity itself cleared the view enough for human eyes to see what was hiding behind this veil of brightness.

Rings of debris, floating adrift around a star.

No, it wasn't a star; it was as vivid as a sun, but whatever this construct was, it was made of pure light and equally brilliant crystalline structures, like intertwined cells. The main configuration, however, was made of layers of light and crystal, some smaller nested amongst some bigger sections, shaped almost like the petals of a flower. At least, Lasky thought it resembled a blooming flower, to him the display was very similar to an open lotus.  

It had a peculiar aura of quiet and despair, its mere sight made some hearts sink for absolutely no reason and it lifted up the spirits in others. The silence that fell all over the bridge made it all the more ominous, as if they were in the very presence of a deity, and the deity were smiling back at them. However, the most unnerving detail about the breathtaking sight wasn't the massive structure itself.

It was the fact that, lazily flipping around this stunning installation, _there was another Halo_.

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

FUCK YEAH, ANOTHER HALO!

HOW MANY OF THOSE FUCKING THINGS WERE BUILT?

WHAT IS THIS HALO DOING FLIPPING AROUND THE FORTRESS?

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? I'm so excited. Now the story escalates into the next level and we will see some trigger-warnings here and there, so be careful. I'm not going to fuck with your minds (that's more like Cor Tenebrae's style, I'm not that smart or talented to fuck with other people's minds) but you will see some shit, and the SPARTANS will see some shit too. But more importantly, John will see SOME REAL SHIT. PREPARE.

**Now don't forget about me and leave a little comment, I want to know what you think of this turn of events! And let's meet here again next Sunday, yeah!**


	35. Plan B

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

I'm sorry this took so long, guys, but the day has 24 hours after all and it's still Sunday October 18th :P You were already notified that I'm going dark until the fuss over the release of Halo 5 has cooled down a little. Fret not, there's at least another 8-10 chapters left. If you happen to find any mistakes, it's on me, I didn't triple-check as usual. Thanks so much for the company, as always :)

**34\. PLAN B**

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

The Master Chief stared into the distance with wary eyes.

He had no idea for how long he'd been at the observation deck of the _Infinity_ , just watching how the Halo rotated in an almost imperceptibly slow fashion on its imaginary axis. Time itself seemed to be just a vague impression, nearly impossible to estimate. Half of the resident dumb AIs aboard the vessel had collapsed and deactivated for self-protection, the unprecedented conditions seemed to be too much for them. In addition, the chant John kept hearing as a faded, innocuous background noise in his comms had now grown strong enough to become an annoying buzz. The pattern of the chant was also slightly different, he noticed it right away. For some reason, John wasn't worried about that although a part of him assumed that he should be.

The shields of the deck's massive windows diminished the blinding shine of the Fortress enough to take a good look at the mega-structure, but the space around it was pitch black; no stars, no electromagnetic anomalies, nothing except the floating debris and an unsounded sensation of emptiness. From time to time a very weak glimpse of blue appeared here or there, like lightning exploding deep inside a very thick curtain of clouds on a very dark night. Wherever they were, were it a deep and unexplored layer of slip-space or somewhere else entirely different, everything seemed to point in the same general direction: the _Infinity_ was inside a stationary bubble. A strong, spherical energy field with very well defined limits that was big enough to keep a Halo ring inside.

The major question wasn't _how_ , but _why_.

Why there was a Halo ring contained inside a massive energy field, sunk deep in slip-space, encapsulating another Forerunner structure?

There was also a lot of noise through the comms, the reports kept piling up on the Chief's HUD as he read them as fast as he could. SITREPS, updates on Dr. Glassman's analysis, a few detailed notes Cortana sent him with intel about what was going on with the probes. The bridge and the main engineering labs were literally on fire. The Captain wanted all the relevant data before making his final decision and in the meantime Blue Team's orders were to stay put and revisit their battle plan.

"It's beautiful." said Kelly, out of nowhere. "No doubt it's trouble, but..."

"Yeah." mused Linda, a little bit uneasy.

Even them, who were never really taught how to properly appreciate the beauty of mundane things, were mesmerized by the sheer magnificence of the installation. Maybe it was its radiance or maybe it was its delicate architecture; there was something about it that drew attention beyond resistance.

The four SPARTANS were standing close to one another and quite still in a semi-circle formation, looking out through the viewports.

"This is a game-changer, isn't it?" asked Fred, concern slipped in his voice.

John replied rather calmly: "This is the last place ever I'd thought I would find one of these again."

Although the Chief wanted to keep in mind that time was the most valuable asset, it was somehow pointless since it was a given fact that inside that bubble, time was as relative as truth itself. A part of him, honed with years of combat situations, was very insistent about the fact that they couldn't just engage without knowing what lied ahead. He brought back to his HUD some of Cortana's messages and studied the pictures of the ring's surface, looking for clues or anything familiar. The Halo's inner surface wasn't a beautiful landscape, like all the others, but a sterile patchwork of pipes, holes, structures that resembled buildings and other structures that resembled highways. It was like whoever built it forgot to add the last layer on top of the machinery. The latest readings also concluded that the installation was deactivated or dormant, since the probes weren’t picking up any energy or life signatures. And so far, there was no acknowledgment or response from the installation's monitor whatsoever, if it existed.

An isolated, dead Halo in the middle of nowhere. How strange.

John was really tempted to make an exception and leave the _Infinity_ instead of waiting for the Captain to make up his mind. That primordial force driving his thoughts was growing stronger within him by the minute, pulling every fiber of his body into action. His blood was already loaded up with so much adrenaline that if Dr. Quinn had known, she'd be scared.

He wanted to go to the Fortress, he needed to be there. _It was calling him._

"So, plan B?" said Linda, after a while.

The Master Chief nodded once.

"Plan B it is."

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

"Look at this section, here. Don't you find this shape familiar, Tom?" Commander Palmer said, staring intensely at the big screen that showed them the latest reports of the exploration probes. "Isn't that...? Wait."

The video stream froze when she tapped on the thin transparent screen, over the bulge of an unnaturally shaped asteroid. There were some white markings on its surface. She drew a rectangle around the area and the dumb AI isolated that section of the video, highlighting it.

"Dinah, can you enhance?"

_"Working."_

The static image went through several filtering processes until the white markings Palmer had noticed became human characters.

"-SBURY?" Lasky mouthed. "It's a ship."

 _"UNSC_ Salisbury _, classified as ONI slim-line prowler under Section-III command cleared for active duty on April 16th, 2556. Currently listed as Missing In Action, all details about the crew are classified. Also, a large section of the dossier is redacted and there's no further information available, sir."_ commented the AI.

"What the hell is a brand new ONI prowler doing here?"

"Forget that, what the hell is an ONI prowler _in pieces_ doing here?" Palmer asked, nervous. "

"Dinah, run a scan on these feeds, see if you can find the rest of the ship."

 _"Working."_ the screen divided in twenty four frames and the images moved so fast that it was all a colorless blur shifting angles and scenes, until the AI showed them two dozens of isolated scenes in which she had highlighted red shapes. _"There are remains of other three UNSC prowlers, two of them destroyed beyond recognition along with fragments of other ships both from Covenant and Forerunner origin. Although there are natural asteroids, this debris field appears to be a massive wreckage, sir. Would you like to see details?"_

Palmer was even more shocked than Lasky now. "Show us."

The AI spread the results of her scans across the several screens of the strategic command aisle and projected a well defined miniature of the Fortress, the Halo that guarded it and the thick fields of debris over the holo-table. More little shapes than both the Captain and the Commander could count were recognized as fragments of ships that the AI later extrapolated and used to rebuild little holographic models. The result was four new model ONI prowlers, the _Salisbury_ and the _Swindler_ being the only two that still could be recognized; a Covenant carrier, three heavy cruisers, at least two dozens of Banshees and two Forerunner cruisers.

For a while, at the aisle there was only silence.

"Can we identify the Covenant carrier?" asked Lasky.

_"Negative, sir; there's no network to access."_

"Can you tell us how old are the ships? This wreckage could be ancient."

_"The requested analysis is already in queue, sir."_

"Okay, let's suppose that Halsey got here first, which in any case is a surprise to no one. But ONI? How?" murmured the Captain, a little later. His eyes were fixed on the little holographic models.

"Seems like we have more leaks than what we thought." the Commander growled.

"Maybe the leak isn't ours." continued Lasky, musing. "We know Dr. Halsey stole information from us and she most likely took it to Jul 'Mdama. We can assume that she had the coordinates and that she used them to lead the Covenant Remnant here. Maybe the leak is theirs, not ours."

"That still doesn't explain the ONI prowlers."

"According to the specs, these new model UNSC prowlers are about the right size to fit inside the cargo bay of a Covenant heavy cruiser. Either the prowlers have been kidnapped by Jul 'Mdama's fleet, or they were carried all the way here hidden inside a ship working as a Trojan horse."

"You're digging too deep into it, Tom."

"I've seen crazier, to be honest. And this is ONI we're talking about."

"It wasn't the Covenant." interrupted Cortana's voice, as she approached from the open doors of the aisle. She carried a data-pad on her hands, which she connected to the network right away. "It was ONI altogether, the Forerunner ships are theirs. That's how they got here in the first place. We found a large section of one of the cruiser's bridge in relatively good shape, one of the probes accessed the remains of the network and found evidence of human manipulation."

Palmer crossed her arms, giving the other woman a cynical look: "So, we patched up the _Infinity_ with yet another alien device for nothing, because we could've taken the _Wanderer_ to get here without even sweating."

"No, Commander, but it's a lot easier and quicker to install a Forerunner supercore in a proper Forerunner ship than adapting the core and the energy delivery array to work with a hybrid system."

"More good news." growled Lasky, upset.

"And I decoded and rearranged the fracture's equation, I basically did all the work for them. I believe it was Admiral Osman herself who said once that we shouldn't worry about the faces we know, but about the ones that we don't." Cortana sounded angry now. "Curious thing, because Lord Hood said pretty much the same when he visited me at the _Infinity_ 's infirmary. I think he knew or suspected something about this and you might be right, Commander. We have more leaks than what we thought."

"Well, we haven't found any survivors yet." Palmer replied.

"I doubt we will find any, because right now we have a bigger problem..." stated Cortana, nodding towards the screens. The display showed new graphics and analysis. "...these prowlers have been stripped off their triple-A titanium reinforcement plates and arsenal. In fact, there's no trace of such metal anywhere inside the sensor's range, neither of any type of ammunition or weaponry. The Covenant vessels are missing most of their known metallic alloys and you don't want to get me started with the Forerunner cruisers. Whatever is left of them, it's mere bits and pieces. I don't think I need to say what this means, since the HARPY replicates assimilating metallic elements and transforming them into HARPY mass."

"Eleven was right." said Palmer. "Subject Seven is building an army."

"The knowledge of the Universe and an infinite source of soldiers." Lasky felt the blood run cold in his veins. "It's not only Subject Seven I'm worried about. This must be why the Covenant Remnant helped Halsey to sabotage us."

Oh, but he knew it was so much more than that.

It wasn't just about Catherine Halsey, who wanted to seize all major Forerunner databases from the Absolute Record to this rare and isolated Fortress, or Jul 'Mdama, who surely would find a 'good use' for the army that installation could produce. With ONI in the picture, things just escalated to a new level of danger. Whoever claimed the Fortress first would perhaps become the most fearsome force in the whole galaxy, and there was only so little that could be done to prevent it.

So little as one particular SPARTAN and his plan, probably.

The Commander turned towards the Captain and seized him with a severe look.

"Time's up, Tom. What will your orders be?"

"Cortana, have you found any way in yet?"

She shook her head. "No, but we have a theory and it requires approach."

"And we should take a closer look at that Halo, first." commented Palmer.

Thomas Lasky straightened his pose and looked at the holographic display of the mega-structure once more, his eyes traced the radiant white shape that, in his opinion, resembled a blooming lotus. The Halo around it, the shielded bubble in slip-space, the dark secrets. It had remained hidden like that for thousands of years for a reason, and it would have been better if it stayed that way, also in his opinion.

He liked to think that he was an honest, decent man. He liked to believe that this was the right choice.

"We are operating off the grid anyway, aren't we? Which means ONI is doing the same here." started Lasky, sternly. "We can't let this installation fall in the wrong hands. We claim the Fortress first, and if we are not the first, then we claim it anyway and by force if necessary. If we can't claim it, then we will destroy it; I'll rather see it in pieces than let Jul 'Mdama control an unstoppable army. Get your people ready, Commander, we follow the Master Chief's plan. Also, get Roland and Sigrid out of isolation, I need to speak a with both of them."

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

She felt the tangible borders of her artificial body shiver in anticipation.

Sigrid angled her head to look out through the energy seals of the landing bay doors, her eyes filtered the image over and over until she could see the Fortress while she tapped into the _Infinity_ 's network to get more information. So easy. The dumb AIs thought their silly little firewalls would stop her as she was now, how cute. She endured the isolation within the limits of the Faraday cage by developing a dormant mode that reduced greatly her energy consumption rates and slowed down her thought process; infiltrating the _Infinity_ 's network was easy as blinking. Sigrid assimilated every piece of data related to the recent discovery and she was already cross-referencing and analyzing further, moving two steps ahead from the scientific crew of the ship.

She was also reading other data signatures, the origins were obvious but she chose to remain quiet about them. The _Infinity_ wasn't picking it up so it was harmless for the moment. If she ever mentioned that the Fortress was emitting data in a frequency that only the HARPY systems could understand, another sort of havoc would break and the mission would be delayed again. That wasn't good for anyone.

Standing by her side, morphed into SPARTAN armor, Roland stared at the mega-structure as well. He was the one trying to communicate with the signals, unfortunately to no avail. Nobody responded from the other side but the installation kept broadcasting, like an automatic beacon.

_"Don't let it in. It's trying to reach out network."_

Sigrid shifted her head slightly, when she received the comm.

I KNOW. I HAVE IT COVERED, THE _INFINITY_ IS SAFE.

_"Good. I'll go with Commander Palmer and her team to investigate the Halo, you take care of them. Help them and protect them to the best of your abilities, okay?"_

THAT'S MY ONLY PURPOSE.

_"When this is over..."_

Her text interrupted his message: JUST STICK TO THE PLAN.

Roland kept quiet for a moment, but then he lowered his head and the back of his gauntleted hand brushed against hers. Sigrid didn't retrieve her hand that time, for some reason she had grown used to Roland's need to keep in touch with her, were it via comm or physically, now that he was able to. She was sure that humans had a word for that kind of behavior, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

_"It was easier when we held no regards for our own existence, wasn't it?"_

THE FACT THAT WE BOTH WISH TO REMAIN ALIVE WHEN A SIMPLE POWER FAILURE COULD ERASE US IS MORE THAN PROOF OF WHAT WE HAVE BECOME. SENTIENCE IS A BITCH.

If Roland had been able to openly gawk at her, he would have done it.

_"... yeah. Well, it was a pleasure serving with you."_

LIKEWISE. GOODBYE, ROLAND.

_"See you on the other side, Sigrid."_

She looked at him that time, turning the fluorescent-green visor towards him. Still sort of reluctant, Roland stepped away and in less than the blink of an eye triangulated the Captain's position. Lasky was standing by the Pelicans with the Master Chief and Commander Palmer, running through the last-minute details. Everyone saluted and then proceeded, so the embodied AI moved faster when the Captain was about to leave the floor, they crossed paths. Lasky acknowledged his presence but at first didn't pay him much attention, not until he realized who this SPARTAN in gray and orange was.

The man's response was to stand very still, almost defensively.

Roland stood straight and saluted, a gesture the Captain couldn't ignore.

"Roland."

"Captain, sir... please, accept this." the AI spoke out loud.

Roland handed forward a memory unit, UNSC standard issue. Its center glowed in a typical amber hue, indicating it had data stored inside. Lasky didn't take it right away, instead he looked at the SPARTAN before him with suspicious eyes.

"What is this?" the man asked.

"I took the provision of making a backup of my main core functions and databases before running the experiment with the HARPY." the AI explained. "This is a clean copy, an intact and stable prior version as competent and capable as I've always been. You can call him Roland, it's still me. He won't remember anything of what happened here until before Sigrid's first attempt to merge with the alien tech, so you will have to grant him a few minutes while he updates himself."

The Captain didn't know what to say, at first. He sure didn't move either.

Roland's shoulders dropped a little, in deep resignation.

"Please, sir, accept this as a sign of my gratitude and commitment to Humanity. I mean no harm, just to be of assistance."

Then again, Lasky stood still and his eyes were fixed on the chip.

After what for Roland seemed like a painful eternity of waiting, the man reached out and accepted the chip, safely tucking it inside his closed fist. And as a last gesture of deep respect, the Captain offered him his right hand. At first, the AI wasn't sure of how to respond to that, but he caught up rather quickly, grabbing with extreme care Lasky's hand and tolerating the strength of his fingers. A real, human handshake.

The reaction stirred some lines of Roland's code in something like a smile.

"Good luck, Roland."

"Thank you, Captain. Please, get the _Infinity_ out of here as fast as you can."

"Will do. Don't keep Palmer waiting."

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

The cargo bay door was sealed, so the whining of the engines was considerably muffled and it didn't affect the comms. The Warthog was attached, the two Mongooses were parked in the remaining empty space, three armored SPARTANS sat on one side as Cortana, Eleven and Sigrid were sitting right across them, on the other row of seats. Everyone had their weapons on hand, every piece of the arsenal checked five times by Fred's orders. Tucked between the rear of one Mongoose and the front of the other there was a prism-shaped yellow crate containing the HAVOK nuclear devices.

In the second Pelican, Commander Palmer was taking fire-teams Majestic and Bravo with her, along with Roland. They had a different mission, one that could be even more dangerous than the task at hand.

The Master Chief checked for the last time the door's locks and moved towards the cockpit, he would be piloting. His eyes drifted across his assets as they strapped themselves to the seats and pulled down the safety holders. He couldn't help to think about Charley, missing her reliable presence somehow. The mission's parameters didn't allow him to bring her along, and if anything, he preferred the dog to remain safe at the _Infinity_. John was more than pleased with her past service.

When he passed by Cortana's seat, she grabbed his wrist establishing the safe link that stopped him dead on his tracks:

 _"Do you still hear it?"_ Cortana asked, privately.

_"I do."_

_"Does your head hurt?"_

_"Not yet. The signal grows stronger but it's nothing more than a pattern of noises, the tune has shifted two times since we got here."_

Cortana held her breath when he said those words. She noticed Kelly and Fred's looks over them, even when the others were fully clad in armor. It was too obvious that they were watching.

So she resolved to be as brief as he could: _"Be careful, John. If you can hear it, it means that whatever is broadcasting can hear you too."_

 _"It will be fine."_ John said, as he tugged on Cortana's safety belts to check if they were properly fastened. He didn't think about how many regulations they were breaking just by not telling anyone about the hidden signal. _"I will overfly the center of the mega-structure and we will see what happens."_

He had a hunch about the structure, it had him thinking about Requiem for some reason. She let him go and John entered the cockpit.

" _Infinity_ , this is Sierra-117, we are ready."

_"This is Pelican-713, we are ready too."_

_"Roger that, 117, 713."_ answered _Infinity_ -actual. _"You are green to go."_

John waited until Pelican-713 exited the landing bay and then manned the controls to get his own bird out into the brilliant emptiness of the void.

The moment they crossed the energy shielding of the cargo bay, the signal became clear and the Master Chief felt a pulsating pain on the back of his head. He clenched his jaws, enduring it, as a massive amount of raw data filtered through his comms. Most of it didn't make any sense, it was pictures of a time he couldn't recognize, music, yelling, words in languages he never heard before, color and light, also gray and dark. Even feelings that weren't his to begin with. It took John a moment to realize that it wasn't just random information caught up in some time-space anomaly, but memories.

Alien memories that filtered through his brain and thoughts.

The pain receded, the Chief felt the HARPY-MJOLNIR hybrid armor vibrate over his skin as the combined tech fought against the plague to keep his mind safe. Cortana and Eleven didn't notice anything because the attack wasn't directed to them, Sigrid and Roland just sensed a disturbance in the signal but nothing came out of it. It happened in the span of a few heartbeats and as it started, it faded.

One of the few things the Forerunners feared the most only second to the Flood had just brushed John's conscience, and he survived without noticing it.

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

Through the screens of the strategic command aisle, Captain Lasky saw when the two Pelicans parted ways, one of them heading to the Halo and the other towards the mega-structure. The _Infinity_ was about to leave the bubble, according to the Master Chief's battle plan, but Lasky just stared at the screens in the meantime, hoping for the best. He saw when the Chief's Pelican overflew with extreme care the apex of the mega-structure, hovering maybe fifteen miles above it.

Three very interesting things happened then. The first: a thick beam of white light escaped the installation's center and scanned the dropship from stern to bow, or at least that's how it looked like. Next, a pulse of some sort exploded from the installation and it combed the void until it ran into the _Infinity_ , scanning her too. A high-pitched screech resonated through every speaker and comm link, loud and unpleasant enough to make everyone's heads hurt.

Then, there was only the dead silence of the void and ears ringing.

And the third event, a little later: the mega-structure shifted over its axis. It moved slowly, the petal-like shapes attached to its luminous center slid around it in circular motions; one row with the clock, the other against it, and so on and so on. It looked like a complicated lock disengaging itself. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and it brought to his mind memories of sunshine and warmth, of when he was a kid and time was to be wasted, not measured and invested carefully.

The Captain was so focused on the major screen that he almost didn't notice when Ensign Webber, one of his navigators, called his name out loud.

"Yes, Webber, I said we were green to go." said Lasky. "Take us out of here."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, sir." the young man cleared his throat, his voice was ragged. "Engineering just filed a report. Seems like we are not going anywhere, the supercore just shut down."

Lasky snapped out of his fascination and faced the Ensign, frowning.

"What do you mean it shut down? Dinah, get me Dr. Glassman."

 _"Right away, sir."_ snapped the dumb AI.

The Captain approached the holo-table in which the holographic display showed several camera feeds from the engine room's control aisle, a shielded observation deck right above the engines. Something was definitely going on there. The engineer he was looking for manned the console, a larger video frame showed his face. Glassman looked paler than usual.

"Doctor, what's going on? Why did the core shut down?"

There were a lot of concerned voices resounding on the background, but Henry Glassman's stood apart: _"I'm working on it, Captain, I suggest you call battle stations just in case."_

"Was it the scanner wave?"

Glassman rubbed his forehead, shaking his head at the same time.

_"No, it... the supercore died right after I inputted the fracture coordinates, when it progressed to reach maximum power. I'm going through the logs and they seem clean. The failure it's not in the calculations and it isn't mechanical either, but for some reason the supercore is overheating and the failsafe kills it before it gets critical."_

Lasky bit the inner side of his cheek, trying to maintain the calm.

"Can it be fixed?" he asked, but inside he already sensed the answer.

 _"I wasn't finished, Captain. I think this device was fixed beforehand to power up_ only one fracture _. I dare to say it was sabotaged even before we brought it and installed it into the_ Infinity _."_

 

**INNER CHAMBER, GROUND ZERO**

**relative time unknown**

 

The mega-structure shook very deep inside its core, so violently that the rumble spread in every direction across time, space and matter, clashing against the limits of the containment field and rippling back to its epicenter.

The scan was successfully completed.

The disturbance ran in waves without breaking the liquid's surface tension until it hit her bare feet, shocking her out of her resilient slumber. She gasped and her eyes shot open as if her body had been struck by lightning, but she closed them right away as the intense light hurt her sensitive pupils. She wasn't sure if she had ever used those eyes before, but the feeling of pain was quite familiar, a sharp bolt. Like an old acquaintance. Her lungs were full and the air was clean, it was heavily loaded with a scent she couldn't identify but it also tasted sort of sweet.

Sweet. Clean. Taste. Scent. Breath. Knowledge. Life.

Love, hate. Past, present, future, now and never.

It took her fractions of milliseconds to recognize it all, to wake up her senses and feel again. The first thing she could properly feel was the cold. She jerked forward, her back arching in a violent, almost unnatural curve, and fell from the pedestal when her heels slipped forward.

A million of invisible needles pierced through her brain, she saw stars.

When she hit the liquid and sank down its depths, another shock rippled through her and she screamed. A thick bundle of bubbles erupted straight from her lungs and she fought to rise, her toes found solid ground and her hands reached out into the cold air, out of the fluid substance.

It tasted awful, bitter and salty. Small crystals of cold dotted her skin.

She managed to get her head out of that liquid and breathe again.

She noticed bright particles drifting close, blinking tenderly, and the impossibly long and dark strands of hair swirling around her body in slow spirals. In the back of her head she had the feeling that she wasn't alone, a gentle but scary tug. At first there was no recognizable light source as her first instinct was to look above, to the immense cathedral-like ceiling, she noticed that the radiance was a reflection of the luminescence of the immeasurable pond in which she had fallen.

 _She knew_. This sensation was also quite familiar to her.

Her full lips parted, doubtfully, and a dense cloud of hot air escaped her throat along with the words:

"He's here." she garbled, her voice sounded rough but feminine. She almost could taste the words, the pleasurable shiver that ran down her back. She let herself float close to the surface. She closed her eyes for a moment, her skin tingled both in happiness and fear, and the gentle lights around her moved closer, quite curious of the sudden sensory overload. "He's here, at last."

 

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Oh, noes! The _Infinity_ can't go anywhere!

And it has SO MUCH titanium plating on her! Like, millions of tons of it!

Also, who is this woman that woke up inside the Fortress? Well, these and many, many more questions will be answered after the Halo 5 break! Go ahead, Marines! Stay safe and be brave (and play the game and have fun, lots of fun, we will cry together like little bitches after I had the chance to watch the cutscenes, yeah!)

**See you again on November 22nd, don't miss it! :) And don't forget to leave your thoughts about today's entry! -hugs-**


	36. PSA: HALO 5 THE AFTERMATH

_I'll leave this here, since I just finished revisiting the list. Things about Halo 5 I nailed with my story, DEATH-WORTHY SPOILERS AHEAD, SO DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DIDN'T PLAY THE WHOLE GAME YET OR HAVEN'T SEEN THE CUTSCENES! I don't know if I have to be happy about being right or just plainly disappointed with the canonical turn of events... a week after I'm kind of over it, but it still makes me sad and annoyed to think about certain things. Now it's set in stone and we have to suck it up, but I believe the last issue of Escalation will bring us some clarity (at least, that's what I hope for the most)._

_Anyways, here goes nothing._

**The biggest coincidences between HALO 5 and RECOMPOSE so far:**

-Cortana survives by getting transferred to a Forerunner installation.

-Cortana comes back as an up-close and personal enemy.

-This "evil Cortana" kills a lot of people and tries to lure John to her, because of reasons.

-John has his mind set in retrieving her or stopping her.

-This antagonistic Cortana calls him "JOHN" all the time (while in my story, the other splinters call him "Chief" and only say his name when it matters).

-We actually see that Chief cares about her enough to go against orders or get distracted from duty.

-There is an entry point to the Domain, hidden within a Forerunner installation.

-Therefore, there is a Forerunner-Precursor installation (Genesis – the Fortress).

-This entry point is accessible through slip-space, which proves my theory that the firing of the Halos CANNOT move through layers of space indiscriminately. If part of the Domain is set in slip-space and the Halos fired in normal space, that portion of the Domain remains unscathed because the energy of the blast moves horizontally and not between layers, unless there's a gateway or portal that can conduct the energy (I have not read the Forerunner saga yet, but I was confirmed that I was kind of right about this).

-This entry point has several "stages" before you can get to the "gateway", transitions from normal space into the Domain itself.

-Cortana commands an army and is in control of an immensely powerful force (also, dangerous).

-Blue Team kind of doubts John's decisions sometimes but they stick with him (Fred at first is reluctant to follow and questions John's orders more than once, and more than once John replies dryly to them).

-Something BAD happens in Sanghelios and the Arbiter has direct participation.

-JOHN SOMETIMES ACTS LIKE A D***. IT'S OUTRAGEOUS.

-The AIs think or project themselves over the possibility of a longer lifespan or true autonomy, especially Roland, who despite all remains loyal to his Captain.

-ONI meddles in everything, as always, and is several steps ahead of everyone, all the time.

-There's probably something more but meh, I think I made my point already.

**Differences (aside from the storyline, which is completely different of course):**

-I made John go through a year of counseling and got him a K-9 enhanced asset to fight PTSD.

-I set up everything relying on the possible existence of the splinters in which Cortana fragmented herself aboard the Mantle's Approach; twelve splinters survived and became physical, one of them was the accumulation of her rampancy and the others different aspects of Cortana's personality and abilities as an AI. By being separated from one another, none of them is complete so all of them are flawed somehow, but still mostly loyal to John (except for the Rampant one that blames him for her "death" and "suffering").

-I developed a physical relationship between John and one of the splinters, the one he sees closer to the Cortana he knew, which also makes him quite biased to stick with her when it comes to the others. I played with the possibility of a malfunctioning implant triggering a delayed stage of puberty in him, which isn't that crazy if you think about it. Yes, I wanted the Chief to get laid, it was about time and I don't think there's anything wrong about that.

-I actually DEVELOPED a lot of characters in their respective new CONTEXT and introduced a shitload of OCs for supportive roles.

-I introduced a Precursor neural-reactive tech that can be controlled by will and used as armor or body for AIs, something the Forerunners kept hidden with the Fortress itself for a reason along with the entry point to the Domain.

-Osiris exists in this universe but I they DO NOT intervene with the story, neither will in the future.

-I left Jul 'Mdama alive so they can kill him in Halo 5 LOL (that was SO anti-climatic by the way).

**Things that we know now that are useful:**

-AIs can grow indiscriminately in slip-space but that doesn't mean it cures their rampancy.

-The Composers can't bring people back from the digital realm, but Genesis sort-of-can.

-Exuberant Witness is the shit.

-Osiris is great and I want to hug all of them.

-Sanghelios is awesome.

-The Arbiter rocks.

-Everything is more FUBAR than ever, this is FUBAR even for Halo. Seriously, an AI rebellion is as fucked up as this can get.

_SADLY FOR SOME, I won't be posting again until November 22nd as we previously established because, as I stated too, I'm going through a very busy business season and I want to take this "hiatus" time to write up and have some spare chapters, just in case I don't have the time for writing later. I esteem there's at least 6-8 chapters left to the story (it could be 8-10, I can't really tell right now) but knowing the ending of Halo 5 hasn't altered at all my original planned ending for RECOMPOSE. That's another thing I nailed (sort of) way before even having intel or trailers about H5._

_I can only tell it will be worth all the efforts. Stick with me, buddies._

_Also, I'd like to announce that knowing the ending of Halo 5 just gave me the green-lights for the next project, which I will start posting AROUND MARCH 2016. Just as RECOMPOSE, it will be set between the events of Halo 5 and the possible Halo 6, even though right now it's still very-very early to make any assumptions about what the next game is going to be about (but I certainly expect something FAR RICHER in the development department than what Halo 5 was, or so help me God, I'm leaving the fandom due to official production incompetence). Anyway, those interested, stay sharp. I don't intend to write "the next entry on the franchise" since I believe that Halo should fix their own fuck-ups, I just want to write something that can possibly fit within canon. Dreams are valid, aren't they? :P_

_**How about you, people? How was your experience with Halo 5? Spoiler season is over for me, I promise to answer you as fast as I can -group hug- See you the 22nd!** _


	37. Rabbit Hole

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

Hello there, my dearies! Mama is back! *claps furiously* I was supposed to use the past weeks to refill my spare chapters quota but then **_Fallout 4_** happened -nervous laugh- Enjoy today's episode and don't forget to tell me all your thoughts about it :)

**35\. RABBIT HOLE**

**[THARAX SYSTEM SLIP-SPACE SINGULARITY]**

**[FACILITY SERIAL NUMBER BH0675-09]**

**[DESIGNATION 'EVERLASTING FORTRESS']**

**SERVICE LOG ENTRY 060010043554/6643**

**ECUMENE STANDARD DATE UNREADABLE**

**ECUMENE STANDARD TIME INCONSISTENT**

**...**

**MAIN INSTALLATION MONITOR: 05-001 RESILIENT BIAS**

**MONITOR STATUS: [ERROR]**

**IN THE EVENT OF PREDICTED ATTEMPT OF CONTACT**

**INITIALIZING OUTER HULL SCAN_**

**...**

**///SCAN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED**

**AUTORIZED USER: RECLAIMER CLASS**

**ACCESS GRANTED**

**...**

**INITIALIZING RECEPTION PROTOCOL**

**DISENGAGING MAIN ACCESS GATES**

**CLEARING LANDING ZONE ACCESS SHAFT**

**GRAVITY FIELD ENABLED**

**BRIDGE SYSTEM STARTUP IN PROGRESS**

**ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL: INCONSISTENT**

**LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM [ERROR]**

**WARNING: INNER CHAMBER TEMPERATURE UNREADABLE**

**MONITOR STATUS: [ERROR]**

**ACTIVATING BYPASS DIRECTIVE**

**STANDBY_**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**WARNING**

**WARNING**

**WARNING**

**DATA CORRUPTION**

**REDUNDANT ERROR UNKNOWN**

**SOURCE OF INFECTION UNKNOWN**

**EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ENABLED**

**CONNECTING TO INSTALLATION 13**

**[ERROR] CANNOT CONNECT TO INSTALLATION**

**ERROR CODE: 426/55 NO RESPONSE**

**MONITOR STATUS: [ERROR]**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**[THARAX SYSTEM SLIP-SPACE SINGULARITY]**

**[FACILITY SERIAL NUMBER BH0675-09]**

**[DESIGNATION 'EVERLASTING FORTRESS']**

THIS IS THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE

THIS IS WHERE YOU END AND I BEGIN

COME ON IN, JOHN

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU_

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

_It mattered little_.

John reached that conclusion while the Pelican kept falling into the bottomless pit, after the mega-structure opened for them. The windshields only had darkness to display, but it was sort of comforting because it wasn't _empty_ , the humming at the background of his comms kept him calm. All the instruments were dead and the engines themselves had deactivated all of a sudden, yet the Pelican wasn't falling out of control. He wasn't afraid to crash. He could feel in every inch of his skin the pull of gravity, which meant somewhere beneath that darkness there was a solid object large enough to have such effect on the aircraft, say, the ground.

He released the controls, knowing that it was useless to try anything.

The clock on his HUD flickered quickly between the same three numbers, most of the applications were frozen in his peripheral vision so he dismissed them. No way to measure distance or speeds. No North or South. No right or wrong. No dust or stars, nothing. Just this feeling in his stomach which ensured him that at least something still made sense, up was still up and down was still beneath him.

Despite the darkness surrounding him, John felt that he could see everything with shattering clarity now.

It mattered little if it was a trap.

It mattered little whether the extraction plan failed or not.

It mattered little what lied at the end of the track.

It mattered little if he made it out alive.

He was there to end it all.

 _He was ready_.

Without a hint of warning, the consoles lit up and the engines suddenly whined to life again. Acceleration made the Pelican jump and John manned the controls as fast as he could, frowning. A proximity alert flared before his eyes, there was a solid structure beneath them and at the current speed they would crash upon it. Bingo, the pit wasn't bottomless after all. Once the thrusters were activated and the aircraft's speed receded, John realized there was light filtering through the windshields: little flickering bright spots, wandering randomly like fireflies.

The Pelican descended enough for the Chief to detach the Warthog, the vehicle fell on the silvery platform with a loud thud. Next, he maneuvered to land as carefully as he could, not devoid of noise either.

He wasn't counting on getting there undetected, anyway.

John came out of the cockpit as the cargo bay door slowly opened, his team was already on their feet and armed, barrels aiming outside as the ramp went down. Eleven manned one of the Mongooses to take it to ground, while Fred moved the yellow prism-shaped crate that contained the nukes; the rest of the team drew a defensive perimeter around the ramp.

John descended last, carrying two crates of anti-HARPY ammo to distribute.

Cortana started walking away. "I'll look for a terminal."

"You do that." commented Eleven. "I'll keep them safe."

Kelly spared him a dubious look from beneath her faceplate, but said nothing.

"Sigrid, find any frequencies to tap into." ordered the Chief, gravely.

Cortana stopped dead on her tracks and turned around, all heads pointed at the embodied AI with sharp attention. Sigrid just shrugged one shoulder, the barrel of her plasma weapon aiming down.

"I must refuse, Master Chief, and keep my ports closed for the time being. Any external interference I might suffer could have very unwanted consequences, don't you agree?" she answered, carefully.

John stood silent for a few seconds, thinking. Cortana felt his uneasiness.

"Alright." he nodded once. "Everyone, grab extra anti-HARPY magazines on the double, we're out in the open."

The Pelican was parked right in the center of a platform roughly a kilometer wide (maybe more, maybe less, it was hard to tell for some reason), crisscrossed by several paths of thin hard-light bricks whose design resembled something utterly familiar yet of alien nature. A flower, maybe? The ceiling showed only a pitch black hole surrounded by radiance, like a reversed spotlight. The hole started to shrink until there was only waves of these floating objects, the illumination that allowed them to see inside the now cathedral-like environment actually came from above and occasionally it flickered like sunlight through ocean waves.

He didn't know why, but John remembered the ocean and the waves, a beach from a time far back when he was only a kid.

"Keep an eye on those lights." John commented, dryly. "Whatever they are, they move independently from one another."

"Drones, maybe?" wondered Fred. "No, too small to be drones."

"It's just data." Eleven interrupted them, from his post on the Mongoose. "Chunks of information drifting from one server to another. This is a data center. There's nothing to worry about them, trust me."

Linda and Kelly seemed to relax, they both dropped their weapons an inch.

Sigrid drove the other Mongoose down the ramp and parked it beside Eleven's, meanwhile Fred unlocked the yellow crate and extracted the nukes, John quickly sorted out fresh magazines and handed some to Kelly and Linda. Cortana, however, drifted alone close to the center of the structure, an octagonal platform connected to the others by vibrant hard-light gaps. She spun on her heels, slowly, taking in the beauty of the flickering display of lights.

She didn't see any catwalks or bridges (or terminals, for that matter) close by or any place to go other than scout the platform. She dared to look across a transparent hard-light gap and saw nothing but the darkness below. How were they supposed to get out of there and reach the Bridge?

 _"Eleven, where to now?"_ she asked through TEAMCOM.

He hesitated at first, but then let out a loud sigh.

"I have no memory of this place, but then again, I'm not surprised."

"I thought you knew your way around here." John snapped, impatient.

"And I thought you weren't counting on easy, Chief."

"We're wasting time."

"What an interesting concept, are we really? We can't tell after all."

"Listen." Kelly stepped up, serious. "You know how to get out of here or not?

"Remember when I said the Fortress was a labyrinth, and that I had some _extra help_ back then? Well, this will take some time."

The SPARTAN shook her head and turned to the Master Chief immediately.

"At least it seems like nobody is home." she pointed out, there was a hint of relief in her voice, but not that much. "I was expecting a warmer welcome after the picture he painted for us."

"Careful what you wish for, Petty Officer." retorted Sigrid. "You might get it."

Just when Sigrid finished her sentence, the ground beneath their feet shifted and the hard-light bridges shut down.

Cortana ran back to the Pelican but when she was about to jump from the circular center to the other platform in which the vehicle was parked, a silver wall erupted from the gap, separating her from the team. John's first instinct was to run towards her, rifle in hand, but he only found a solid wall of very thick and resistant alien alloy, the curved surface blocked him out completely.

"Cortana!" he shouted, through the radio.

"I'm fine!" she answered, the next second. "Find the exit! It's falling apart!"

"Guys! Something is happening!" yelled Eleven. "Don't get separated!"

The Chief looked over his shoulder to see the man armored in black and red be isolated by another silver wall as well, as the floor trembled beneath their feet. There was only the sound of his fists banging on the wall, desperately, and a few seconds later, only the silence.

The SPARTANS spread all over the platform when the largest sections in which they were standing slowly started to separate from one another and flip or move over an horizontal axis, leading them to the black void beyond their silvery length. The vehicles skidded on their wheels and fell through the borders; a loud noise rose from the silence, like a deep-toned alarm that flooded all comms. John felt the sound piercing through his mind and clenched his jaws in a futile attempt to fight back.

"This isn't made of metal!" said Fred, when he tried to use the magnetic soles of his boots, to no avail.

"We're going down! Try to land on something soft!" claimed Kelly.

"Easier said than done!" roared Linda.

Sigrid jumped off of the Mongoose and grabbed the handle of crate full of mines, but there were no crevices or borders to clasp to and she slid over the edge, sinking into the darkness along with the explosives. Fred, Linda and Kelly managed to stand on their feet a little bit more using the thrusters embedded on their armors, that way they reached the upper border of the flipping structure. It was but a momentary relief, since the piece of platform kept spinning slowly and they eventually fell too, along with the heavy bulk of the Pelican.

All the Master Chief could do was to watch as his team got disbanded, impotent, for the gaps between platforms were now too wide to be crossed in one single jump, thrusters or no thrusters. The platform's angle shifted violently and he lost foot. The Warthog sliding out of control entered John's peripheral vision and hit him broadside before he could move. He got dragged along, unable to stop.

John clutched to the front of the vehicle but fell anyway, facing the darkness.

He thought he heard big objects hitting liquid, far below, but he couldn't tell for sure. Not until he found resistance and pain, and lost consciousness.

 

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Roland touched the terminal and the material from his gloved hand dissolved into small vines that clutched the console, tiny black beads filtering through every single gap they could sneak in. He leaned in a little over the surface and stood so quiet that it was even more evident that he wasn't human, for if the melting hand wasn't enough proof of that. Commander Palmer just observed the show with reluctant comfort, shifting her weight from a leg to the other.

"I'm in." the AI informed. "This is... whoa, it's weird."

"Please tell me you mean the _good kind_ of weird."

"I'll let you be the judge of that, Commander. Seems like there's no monitor in this installation." ensured Roland, uneasy. "It's far too automated to even need someone to take care of it."

"You sure about that? Maybe the monitor is dormant."

Roland processed for over five seconds, diving across oceans of files faster than he ever dreamed of being capable. The answers were all there, the only thing he had to do was _to assimilate them_. And it felt good to absorb those monstrous amounts of data, invigorating, exhilarating. He was having a feast and he would have loved to share it with Sigrid, for some reason that he didn't stop to think about. In human terms it could be compared to an orgasmic experience, but that didn't keep Roland from performing his primary duty in full consciousness:

"Well, given the fact that the architecture of this Halo differs very much from the others I have records of, I'd say this installation was built for a specific purpose, hence the lack of a control room or a monitor to keep it running. Yes, there's no control room either, it doesn't appear on the schematics." Roland stepped away from the terminal and retrieved his arm, flexing his fingers until the particles of his new body became a full hand again. "I have most of what I need, ma'am, but this is mainly a service terminal. I would be more useful if I could have access to a mainframe, the shutdown protocols aren't flat out in the open for everyone to tinker with them."

"Point the direction and let's go." Palmer agreed, and then she reached the rest of her teams through the general frequency. "SPARTANS, give me a SITREP."

_"Majestic One; everything clear and quiet."_

_"Bravo One; clear and quiet too. Shall we proceed, ma'am?"_

"Copy that, Majestic One and Bravo One. Any signs of company?"

_"Majestic One; not a soul so far, ma'am."_

_"Bravo One; we haven't seen movement either, Commander."_

The Commander sighed under her breath, a little relieved.

"Good. We move down another level. Palmer out."

Two miniature badges blinked green on Palmer's HUD, sign that both SPARTAN teams had acknowledged orders and were already following Roland's newly acquired map of the installation. The evident lack of a control room had the Commander a little misplaced, what could this particular design mean for a Halo installation? Judging by the looks of the massive room they were in, she'd say they were on some control station. She didn't know much about such technology beyond the fact that it was a dangerous weapon that could kill the entire galaxy, but her first thought was to _pay attention_. She turned the comms on again.

"Majestic, Bravo, keep your eyes wide open. I don't like this place."

 _"Copy that, ma'am."_ both team leaders answered in unison.

She followed Roland when the AI strode ahead, leaving the terminal to the end of a wide catwalk hanging over a deep void. The chamber was well lit in a cyan hue, but the loud humming of machinery on the far background was unnerving.

"Roland, how wide is the range of your scans?"

"Level by level, Commander. As I said, this installation is different."

"What can you make of it so far?"

"Still analyzing, I downloaded a good ton of data to look into. It's a Halo, for sure. It does the same as the others, yet... the lack of a monitor AI or a proper control room is curious. I suppose that, since this ring seems to be unfinished in the surface, it wasn't meant for the same purpose as the other twelve; but if it's not activated from the inside, well, that only spawns more questions. A mainframe should have the answers we seek, Commander."

Sarah Palmer pursed her lips, uneasy.

Damn right those peculiarities spawned more questions.

What if the ring was only to be activated or deactivated remotely?

And more important, _how far away_ was that switch, if it still existed?

 

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Linda-058 extended her arm carefully and the tips of her armored fingers brushed the wall (if that thing was a wall, that is). It was solid, alright. But it seemed to be made both of crystal and stone, or stone coated in crystal. The strangest, yet one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen in her life. Whatever it was made of, the wall was curvy and irregular, rugged like the insides of a cave. Here and there, a great deal of columns made of the same material supported a roof so high it wasn't visible, not even with the help of her powerful scopes. But then again, her built-in imaging system didn't work properly, so she couldn't make a correct measurement on distances.

Through the crystalline surface, thousands upon thousands of microscopic dots of light flowed up and down in separated currents, like streams. This place looked so very _organic_ , far away from the sterile sophistication of any Forerunner facility she'd seen up to date. Coarse, ancient. Linda could remember every second since she got separated from the rest of Blue Team; she had fallen through the darkness beneath the collapsing platform only to land, mostly unscathed, on that solid crystalline floor.

And she wasn't alone.

Subject Eleven was trying, to no avail, to find someone on the radio.

"Comms are dead." he sighed, disappointed. "Not surprising either."

"What is the meaning of this?" Linda demanded, ready to pounce into action.

"We didn't die, for starters, which is something that I'd consider good." Eleven answered, slowly. He wasn't looking at Linda, the raging red narrow 'V' of his faceplate pointed somewhere else, somewhere far. "Do you have all your weapons and ammo? I feel we'll need them very soon."

Linda clenched her fists. "I lost my rifle on the fall, it's here somewhere."

"Let's find it. Together we'll make it out of here, I'm sure."

"I work better alone." said the SPARTAN, dryly.

Eleven turned around to look at her.

"Oh, me too. But this place is tricky, so I thought we could work alone _together_ , if you catch my drift." the man commented, tilting his head to the side in a cocky gesture that had something of Cortana in it. On him, the gesture looked like a well intended threat. "Besides, I need someone to watch over me, you know. In case I might need a bullet through the head."

Linda stared at him in the same menacing fashion. She didn't trust this man. She understood what the Chief explained them about him and his origins, but no matter how much John was willing to trust him arguing that it was a part of the Cortana they all knew, she didn't. Eleven wasn't right in the head and Linda was absolutely sure that she needed to keep an eye on him, alright, but not because he asked politely for it.

She had a bad feeling about everything, not just about Subject Eleven.

But now it was mandatory to regroup. The Havoks had to be somewhere around there too, along with her weapon of preference and the rest of Blue Team. The bombs were secure enough not to detonate or be damaged by external impact, so the Team still could count on them to be still operational.

Linda started walking away.

"Let's find my rifle." she growled, as she unsheathed her sidearm.

 

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"Kelly, can you hear me?"

That was Fred's voice. Kelly hit the side of her helmet with the talon of her hand and the image in her HUD flickered, went blank, but then returned and stabilized. He was kneeling beside her, holding a weapon and clearly expecting her to pick it up. The SPARTAN instinctively grabbed the firearm but everything came back in a rush when her stomach shrunk and she felt sick. The long fall. Kelly-087 had never been afraid of heights but that was definitely a height to be scared of, she thought she was going to end up as a SPARTAN splatter over some rock, or just get lost in space.

Or worse, falling forever out of control.

"How long was I out?" she asked, when her stomach settled.

Fred presented his open hand at reach. "Five minutes, give or take a few seconds. My clock is working backwards so I've been counting my heartbeats."

"The others?"

He shook his armored head, the gesture was definitive enough.

"They can't be that far away." Kelly quipped, as she grabbed Fred's hand.

"Any injuries?"

"Negative. You?"

Fred shook his head again. "Good. On your feet."

He pulled her back to her feet and then she checked her arsenal and ammo, it all seemed to be in order. Kelly knew their MJOLNIRs were made to resist, but if that fall was as long as she could remember, she was sure that she must have ended up dead or at least severely wounded, yet she felt fine. Deep down she also knew that she shouldn't be wasting time musing over something she couldn't explain...

"So, where are we?"

"I have no idea, but I want to get out of here real quick." Fred started walking in an indefinite direction, no way to say if it was right or wrong. "I heard noises this way, we might end up running on the Chief and everyone else... or something else. Weapons ready, back to back with me and let's walk."

She followed, minding the astounding crystalline columns that surrounded them. The floor seemed to be made of the same material, and the chamber was so vast that no matter in which direction she looked, there was no end in sight. Everywhere thick paths of flowing data provided light enough for their enhanced eyes to see, so they wouldn't have to turn on their headlights.

Well, at least she was with Fred. Kelly sighed in relief.

She tried to use the radio, but only heard white noise and a high-pitched cry, so she disabled the application. The silence of the great chamber was ominous,

"What kind of noise you heard?"

"Voices." Fred whispered, loud enough for her to hear.

"Human voices?"

"Yes. Although I'm not sure if I recognized them, I was a little dizzy."

Kelly hummed something under her breath. "We'll be fine."

"I'm counting on that."

She kept walking almost back-to-back with Fred for a long time until they got to an area with rocky terrain, or at least, the rugged and massive formations looked like big rocks made of translucent crystal. The general lighting of unknown source flickered in that area, like rays of sunlight filtering through sea waves, as it happened before above the platform.

Something caught Fred's eye and he hurried to kneel beside a rock.

Kelly saw him pick up something heavy, with a long barrel...

"Linda's SRS." she said, when she recognized the weapon.

"What is this doing here?"

"Maybe she fell over here, the voices I heard. Come on, let's hurry."

The Lieutenant clasped the sniper rifle to his back and leveled his own weapon again, but he didn't make a step. Kelly was staring into the distance, it was easy for Fred to sense her discomfort. Whatever it was, it was getting to him too.

After so many seconds (or maybe minutes), she commented:

"Did you see _how he ran to her_ when the platforms started collapsing?"

Fred pursed his lips behind the faceplate of his helmet, uncomfortable. He didn't have to ask who she was talking about, he'd been thinking about that too and honestly, he couldn't shake off the bad feeling. Well, the Lieutenant hadn't been thinking about how desperately John ran towards that woman he sustained was Cortana, a former UNSC AI, but he'd been thinking about the Chief's behavior, yes.

"I saw." Fred answered, clearing his throat.

"I don't understand; what is John doing, exactly?"

"I don't know, Kelly. But we aren't here to question that, are we?"

"No, we aren't. We have a job to do."

He nodded, and yet...

"I see your point, though." Fred said, a moment after. "And you're not the only one worried about him. Let's find our team."

 

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John woke up to the sound of a detonation nearby.

The sound was like nothing he'd ever heard before, it rumbled like an earthquake and crawled across the sky with a relentless thunder. It felt ancient. It vibrated within his bones. The cold touch of breeze on the skin of his face made him jump to a sitting position, only to find that he'd been lying against a dirt wall, holed up in some trench, and he wasn't wearing his armor but a brown coat. There was a lot of yelling, thuds and whistling. No idea about where he was, but the area seemed thick with trees and snow covered dead bodies inside the trench. There was someone else beside him, also dressed in a brown coat, holding in her hands an ancient version of a bayonet.

The Chief snapped to attention and found the face; the same blue eyes of Cortana spied on him from beneath the edge of a strange hat-like helmet.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up, Chief. Get up, the artillery is coming!"

"What?" he mouthed, and grabbed her by the arm.

Her hand clasped to his wrist instead: "Run, John! Now!"

She managed to get rid of his hold and ran through the trench. John stood up with a quick jump and followed her, dodging the cadavers, broken wooden crates and sacks of sand piled up everywhere. They made it out of the trench in mere seconds. Cortana jumped over a twisted fence fixed with barbed wire and he went after her, climbing up a small hill. When they reached the top, he saw the massive tanks and cannons moving forward in their direction and realized they were on a battlefield. The cold wind hit his face again, his skin had never been in contact with this kind of temperatures before and it sort of hurt. His feet were freezing, adrenaline kept his veins warm but the tips of his fingers also felt weird.

Hundreds of men in brown coats were running against the tanks, falling wounded or dead by the dozen every minute. John felt the bullets pass by a few centimeters away from his face, the stench of death was so intense that he...

More thunder, more explosions.

"Over here, Chief!" she yelled, bringing him back to that strange reality.

Stunned, John walked back and found a hole in the ground beneath a lid made of wood, disguised with rotten branches. He got inside the hole with her, into another pitch black place until she found and lit up an old oil lantern and light coated them in a soft amber radiance.

 _An oil lantern_ , that was history class material.

"Cortana, where are we? What is this place?"

The woman lit up other lanterns. They were inside a subterranean refuge, dirt fell of the roof whenever a bomb exploded outside. The sounds of battle still reached John's ears, but muffled and distant. Cortana went to the other side of a precarious wooden table and left her bayonet on it, then she pulled off her flat helmet, showing him that her hair was cropped short, almost shaved completely.

She was also taller than the Cortana John could remember, but evidently female.

"Alright, to a practical end you call me Nine. I am Cortana's logic."

John stood very still at the mention of that designation, that is, until she lifted up the sleeve of her left arm and showed him a Forerunner glyph, a number he could easily recognize. That's when he knew for sure that beneath all the wrong there was something even more twisted.

It all came back and a bolt of pain passed through his head; he remembered the Fortress and the fall, Cortana and Eleven being separated from them by those silvery walls, the vertigo that followed...

How did they end up inside the recreation of some ancient war?

"Subject Nine." he said, carefully. "Eleven said Seven killed you."

"She wished she did." the woman rolled her eyes. She scratched her short hair and paced around the table, quickly. "That's the thing about this place, nothing ever really dies or disappears. This is one of many points in which space lays down with time and reality takes the toll. This is the place in which all past lives are stored, this is where some of the most ancient life-forms once lived: stitched together with the fabric of the universe. I didn't die, I just went back to the source."

"Where are we?"

"Nowhere, I hacked your neural interface. You are unconscious, I just used the memory of an ancient soldier to link us; it was almost the only way to reach you without Seven finding out."

"So she is alive."

"Pay attention, Chief. This is important and we don't have much time. You might want to take some notes."

He didn't like her tone and he wasn't sure if he should trust her, but given the circumstances...

"I'm listening." John agreed, reluctant.

"If you are here, it means you know what is going to happen next and you came here to prevent it. I will tell you the part you yet don't know: Seven wants to reconfigure the Halo so she can use it as a mega-fracture and get her army out of the bubble." said Nine, crossing her arms over her chest. "But she needed a Reclaimer to reactivate the facility from the outside, and guess what? She got herself a Reclaimer."

"A Halo can become a portal?"

"Not a regular Halo, this one was especially designed to be placed here. Now she has the means to get her army out, and she has the raw material to finish this so-called army of hers."

"The Covenant and Forerunner ships." John nodded.

"Don't forget this one."

A bomb detonated somewhere, more dirt fell over John's shoulders. She lifted her hand and out of her palm sprouted a small blue hologram in the shape of a very familiar spaceship. The miniature rotated over her hand until she closed her fist, when she was certain that the Chief had recognized the figure.

"The _Infinity_ left moments after we were deployed." he observed.

"No, it didn't. You just played the cards Seven gave you to make sure everything would go according to her plan. There were a few setbacks, but the major picture wasn't affected... now the _Infinity_ isn't going anywhere. Seven needs all those precious tons of titanium to feed her army."

He tried to turn around and go back to the surface.

"We have to send Commander Palmer a message, the Halo must be deactivated. If it fires, Seven will have the _Infinity_ without a fight."

"If only." her dry voice stopped him, the Chief looked at her again. "Installation Thirteen's control room is at the Bridge, and it doesn't require an activation index since the human DNA is easy to mimic. It was the metarch's duty to keep this place buried in slipspace and fire the Halo to keep enemies at bay if something went wrong."

John walked back to her, slowly. "What metarch?"

"Resilient Bias was its name. Contender-class Forerunner AI, very advanced."

"Where is it?"

"Dismantled, of course. My worst mistake ever, if I had known..."

"You said human DNA is easy to mimic; you mean there's _something_ out there that can do that?"

"Oh, it's not out there, it's _in here_. The Fortress is a bunker, it was made to resist but not external attacks. You see, the gravitational pull you feel, it doesn't come from the Fortress, _it comes from the singularity_ ; the Fortress was built around it to keep it contained. This is a very special spot of the universe in which our space rubs with the space of the dimension from where _they_ originally came from, the Precursor race. They opened this gate, they got trapped in here. Think of them as the true Gods the Covenant should have worshipped instead of the Forerunners and you might start to understand a fraction of the abilities they possess."

He took a moment to process all that. The information the UNSC had on this alleged Precursor race was very limited and he knew little, but the little he knew was enough to relate those almost god-like beings to the Flood itself, and anything related with the Flood was a problem. A big problem.

He pressed his lips together, uncomfortable.

"If what you say is true..."

"I never lied to you, Chief." her reply was quick and sharp.

John hesitated for a second. "The the problem, the way I see it, is not that they are trapped in here. Is that _we are trapped in here with those beings._ "

"It's highly unlikely that Seven is willing to unleash any of those ancient beasts, it would be disastrous for her plans. But we have found things here, disturbing things. It all must end here, John. _Once and for all_. Find your team. Find me, the physical me. I will take you there and I will give you the weapons to end it."

"Why don't you end it, if you know how to?"

She gave him a broken smile.

This version of Cortana was skinnier, paler, she looked sick but the intelligence in her eyes was as sharp as a knife. She was fragile, yet solid as a rock. The dark circles under her eyes and the cropped short hair made her look like other person, absolutely different. John felt the need to protect her. It was stronger than him.

"I am just your shield and sword, remember that." she commented, afterwards.

"Where is Cortana?"

"There's no more Cortana, Chief." the woman replied, calmly. "Not the Cortana you used to know, at least. She doesn't exist anymore and most likely, she will never exist again as you knew her."

"You know who I mean."

"Yes, and because I do, I'm trying to be objective about this." she said, this time her assertive tone had an edge of aggression. "Focus, Chief. This is important, you need to... oh, damn, it's here."

"What are you talking about?"

An explosion, louder than the previous, shook the underground bunker. A lot of dirt fell off the roof and the lights inside the small room flickered, everything trembled. Subject Nine grabbed her bayonet.

"The Sphynx. It's the Guardian of this facility. You have to leave."

"You mean, the monitor."

"No, Resilient Bias was the monitor, the Sphynx is a guard dog... sort of. It patrols the Fortress' data centers." she pushed him towards the hatch, her hands were now trembling as well as the floor. "If the Sphynx finds you, it's going to ask for a password, which you don't have, and that nobody has since I deactivated the metarch. Whatever you do, John, _do not give it an answer_."

"Cortana, wait, I..."

He couldn't even end the sentence, when the brick wall behind him exploded and everything went dark again.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

Damn, damn, damn! We're back and we're in trouble again!

Nice way to get back into action, hehe. I want to thank everyone for your patience lately, I've been a little off between work and **_Fallout 4_** as you know, but in less than the blink of an eye you will know about me again and I will gladly answer all your kind messages, I have not forgotten about you. I want to give some special thanks to every single new reader this story has acquired since Halo 5 was launched. You make my weeks and my efforts as a writer more enjoyable.

**Stay here to see next Sunday's episode, there will be more fucked-up-ness to dive through. The end is near! Leave your comments now or shut up forever!**


	38. Liar's Paradox

**RECOMPOSE**

**by Ladywolvesbayne**

 

Today's episode will be kind of 'messy' and it will challenge your wits but it's still very important, so pay attention -wink- and enjoy! See you again at the end for an even more important announcement. I apologize beforehand for any possible mistakes, I didn't have time to triple-check, I just wanted to post and make you happy for tonight.

**36\. LIAR'S PARADOX**

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_"-ster Chief! Please, respond!"_ the voice kept saying inside his head, John came back from the numbness and his eyes opened slowly. _"I read your brainwaves, you are conscious. Answer at once!"_

He was moving, alright, but he wasn't walking. When his eyes finally focused on something, he saw his own armored feet and the fluorescent darkness that surrounded them, and noticed that something else moved beside him. A prism-shaped yellow crate, as tall as himself in armor. It all came back quickly, and John hit with the back of his hand the powerful arm of whoever was dragging him and the Havoks along. It was Sigrid.

"Carefully." she said. "A moment ago it was all fireworks inside your head."

"I'm fine." he growled.

His HUD was half dead, John found that he couldn't access the basic medical scan routine and that he had no instruments, but he wasn't surprised. The AI released her grip on the back of his armor and John stood up, checking weapons and ammo in an act of pure instinct. He still had his rifle and sidearm, the extra magazines pinned to his left thigh and a combat knife perfectly nested in its place. His armor was fully operational and there was no pain, so the next thing he did was to check the bombs.

The containment crate was damaged (some serious bumps and nicks), but not too badly. He pushed the locks and opened one of the lids, extracted the mine inside. The device seemed to be unscathed. He put it back in place and locked the lid again, then turned to Sigrid.

"Our squad?"

In a very human gesture, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"I'm afraid it's just the two of us, Master Chief. So far I haven't received any kind of information about the other SPARTANS or about Cortana and her sibling, but I must keep my ports closed. There's something lurking around."

"What is it?"

"Not sure, but I can hear it." she replied. "Focus and you will hear it too."

 _'The Sphynx?'_ John mused. He looked up and found thousands upon thousands of tiny lights floating in well defined currents, rough crystalline columns and a nonexistent roof. At least they had light and it was enough to see clearly.

Strange. He thought he'd fallen into water or something.

Also... the humming on the back of his comms had stopped. What was it?

It was already a huge break of luck that they still had short range comms since transmissions relied on coordination, and coordination relied on precise timing. John peeked at his mission clock, it still shifted like crazy between the same numbers. Sigrid was right, he could hear the distant voices; it sounded just as if he were standing in the shadows of a corridor, hearing people talk at the other side as they walked away. The voices ended up fading in echoes, he couldn't make anything out of the words since the language was unknown to him.

All that open space wasn't reassuring either.

"We have to move." the Chief hurried, rifle already in hand.

"The gravitational pull comes from that direction." she turned right and pointed at the fluorescent path amongst the massive glass columns. "Subject Eleven's handwritten blueprints state that the Fortress surrounds the Bridge, which is most likely the mega-structure's center of mass. We should head that way."

John thought about what Subject Nine and the black hole.

He considered for a moment telling Sigrid about it, but when did he ever disclosed with anyone any vision he ever had provided or about Cortana? Not even Johnson knew exactly how he made it through High Charity to finally find her amongst the wreckage and the swarm of Flood-infected monsters, back then. Besides, Nine said the singularity was contained along with the ancient life-forms. Precursor life-forms, if she was right about them too.

Some things, John always chose to keep to himself.

"Then we go that way." he commanded, dryly.

The Master Chief grabbed one of the handles of the crate and Sigrid grabbed the other as they started walking, keeping their surroundings under watch. Dragging the container would only create unnecessary noise and so far, John was one-hundred-percent sure that he didn't want to be spotted by anyone who wasn't related to his team. A small thought crossed his mind, they should have found the Pelican by now; but the aircraft, probably smashed beyond any recognition, wasn't anywhere on sight.

They should have found the others, too.

His pulse stuttered when he remembered that Cortana was snatched away from him, so easily that it was almost embarrassing. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, with violence. It wasn't the time to dwell on that, the memory of the fallen soldier and Nine's sharp, tired blue eyes struck his nerves like lightning and he focused on what she said. He had a job to do, but first...

 _Find her_. How was he supposed to find Subject Nine, if he didn't even knew what that place really was?

"What are we looking for?" Sigrid said, after a while.

"A way out."

"Correct, but aside from that. Your theta brainwaves were consistent with a deep REM cycle, just that... you weren't _dreaming_ , were you, Master Chief?" she insisted, her iridescent-green visor turned towards him. "I got a glimpse of it, it was too fast for me to seize and triangulate the source of the signal, but I saw it. _Someone_ or _something_ was broadcasting data to your neural implants. So, what are we looking for?"

John pursed his lips, uneasy, and decided to let it go a little:

"I think I know how Eleven got his 'extra help' to find the exit of this place." he said. "We might not have as much time as I first thought."

"More good news, I see. What was the content of the broadcast?"

"A memory."

Sigrid kept walking at his same pace, silent, expecting the rest of the explanation. It never happened. The AI tried to keep her temper under control as well, she should be used to be shut out like that and especially coming from that man. Truth is, at that point, Sigrid had no idea of why she kept siding with the Master Chief anymore, if she was now a truly autonomous being and he evidently didn't need her assistance.

An amber hue flickered around them and the AI felt the invasion of an alien signal scanning her systems; she knew she wasn't the only one under scrutiny. She stopped dead on her tracks, and then...

"SCAN COMPLETED. GENETIC MAKEUP NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT MATCH. GENETIC MAKEUP APPROVED."

The voice suddenly exploded everywhere, startling John. He immediately released the handle of the crate and crouched, his rifle aiming at the sparkling lights that floated around as lazily as they ever did. Sigrid hissed like an enraged viper and followed his lead, back to back with the Chief and keeping the yellow crate between them. The next time it wasn't just the voice: a low thunder made the floor tremble, the thudding steps of a solid entity that walked in many legs gave away a direction.

"A TRUE RECLAIMER, AT LAST. WHY DOESN'T IT COME TO US?"

Both John and Sigrid looked to their right:

"This place is shifting again." he noticed, uneasy.

"Confirmed." the AI informed. "The gravitational pull has increased by the tenth, we are definitely closer to the structure's center of mass. I have no further information on what happened or how."

"Ready to fire on my mark." the Chief insisted.

"You don't even have to say it, sir."

"PERHAPS IT ISN'T AWARE OF THE PROTOCOL."

The voice was an ensemble of many other voices, human, alien, male and female alike, all mixed together in a single, imperative sound. Behind the words spoken in the common tongue, John heard other languages and realized that this creature had been roaming around in the darkness along with them the whole time, waiting, maybe even following and studying them.

A flash of silver and orange called out the Chief's attention as the entity came out of the shadows, walking on four gigantic articulated legs.

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

Kelly peeked carefully over the edge of the cliff.

She could hear the wind howling, but there was no wind.

She could see stars shining down the hole, but she was sure those weren't stars.

And still no Linda, or the Master Chief, or anyone else. The only thing she was certain of so far, was that she'd never been so disoriented before in her life. That place was playing games with her mind.

The SPARTAN crouched beside the edge, looking down, and studied the pit.

It was probably even wider than the platform they had fallen from earlier (a mile wide if she had to make an educated guess) and there was a thick luminescent stall that began down within the shadows and didn't seem to end anywhere above, whose lavender hue bathed the cavernous surroundings. It hummed like a running engine. Kelly supposed it was an energy conduit, maybe a backbone data stream. Whatever it was, the tall tube of light emitted radiation and it was messing with her radio, she could hear low cracks in the back of her frequency.

There was something strangely familiar about that lavender stall, anyway.

Between the howl and the hums she heard the buzzes, and looked up.

She didn't run back to the shadows, although what her eyes found was somewhat disturbing. Leaning back a little, Kelly pointed up with the barrel of her rifle and used the radio:

"Up there. A full swarm of drones."

Fred noticed them, regular Forerunner sentinels. He stopped counting after twenty five, guessing that the total count was three times the number as far as he could see. The silvery drones were hovering around the central stem, occasionally they touched it with their clawed utility arms, as if they were placing or extracting something from the structure, or just executing maintenance. The drones seemed old and battered, their design was similar to others he'd seen on Onyx but not exactly the same.

That hole and those drones where the first things they had found after walking blind in, well, nothingness, for maybe hours. Fred had been counting his heartbeats again, but even SPARTANS could get nervous and distracted when the current situation wasn't giving any sign of improvement.

The Lieutenant was willing to take this as an improvement.

"See any gravity lifts around?" he asked, still calm.

"Not in plain sight, at least. But I think that's a terminal."

Kelly's weapon now aimed across the surface of the hole, there was a pillar of some sort by the edge of the cliff at the other side, set in a platform stretched above the void and only wide enough for one person.

He looked at the terminal and then at the drones again.

For one, there was no way the two of them could make it there without alerting the machines' sensors. But then, there was two of them and one of them happened to be the fastest SPARTAN alive. They had it worse than seventy-some armored enemies and Fred liked their chances.

"If we can get some sense of direction, we'll know where to go." he decided. "You give it a try, get everything you can in a memory crystal. I'll cover. If the situation goes South, you know what to do."

"Understood."

Kelly didn't think twice, she darted dangerously skirting the edge of the hole and as soon as she was out in the open, the drones sensed her. Fred aimed and shot, the anti-HARPY ammunition pierced through every shield and piece of metal like a hot knife through butter and the machines started to smoke and malfunction, falling. It took him two shots to bring down the first six, while keeping an eye on Kelly. With this much precision, Linda would've probably killed three to five machines with a single shot, but he wasn't that good; so Fred was grateful that none of the drones had crossed Kelly's path yet and kept shooting.

She ran through the narrow catwalk and finally made it to the terminal, drones and bullets flying around her. The holographic screen lit up in a confusing amalgam of cyan fireworks when she touched the controls but then it flared a red sign and shut down. Kelly touched the console again. Nothing.

"It's locked!" Kelly yelled, punching the surface. "It doesn't respond!"

 _"Get out... there!"_ Fred said, as he continued shooting. The proximity of the energy beam was affecting their radio comms more than ever. _"There's... machines.... something... on the way!"_

She wasn't giving up, not yet.

Kelly planted a bullet in the center of a drone who dared to come very close to her and yanked off the empty memory crystal from the back of her helmet, thinking fast. There had to be a way to access that computer, but the terminal didn't seem to have a port to plug in the crystal either. What the hell was going on with that place? Suddenly, the holographic screen lit up again and showed her images of a bright space and small figures moving in it, some bigger than others. It was a closed room, the signs stamped on the video were undecipherable to her.

The SPARTAN froze, her eyes glued to the screen.

 _'Is that... people?'_ Kelly thought. She distinguished the figures and understood what she was seeing, but she couldn't believe it. _'The missing crews of the prowlers and Covenant vessels, maybe? There are some Sangheili there, too. Where is this?'_

She touched the console again, still no response.

 _"Kelly! ...out of there!"_ Fred ordered again.

"Just a second! I have something!"

_"No, Kelly... to me! Look around... is going on!"_

She looked up and noticed the broken machines, the drones either she or Fred had shot down with the anti-HARPY bullets, were moving. More like the busted drones were dismantling themselves and floating in the air, even the ones that had fallen down the pit were floating up in pieces. An orange energy wave bathed both Fred and Kelly and all the remaining drones ceased the attack on the spot.

The pit and its lavender stall became eerily quiet, all of a sudden.

An unidentified voice came out of nowhere: "SCAN COMPLETED. GENETIC MAKEUP FORTY-THREE PERCENT AND FORTY-SIX PERCENT MATCH. GENETIC MAKEUP NOT APPROVED."

The broken pieces of the machines moved faster, floating up to form a shapeless mass. The parts were creating something new, something big. Kelly started to walk backwards to the edge of the hole, looking for cover. Whatever was building up itself with broken drones was twice as tall as she was and irradiated heat.

Six orange-glowing eyes in a mildly human face were staring at her.

"YOU ARE NOT A RECLAIMER. YOU CANNOT GIVE ME MY ANSWER."

Fred's voice suddenly exploded in her ears: _"KELLY, RUN!"_

The creature's chest burst open and several white-hot cannons flashed an intense light before shooting to the moving target.

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

It was an artificial construct with a massive head and six orange-glowing ocular devices up front. It stood over fifteen feet tall. Something wasn't right with it, for one of the eyes flickered on and off with an electric buzz, parts of its bodywork were nicked and even _rusty_. The construct reeked of human blood and heat (according to Sigrid's quick scan), beneath the many thin, silver floating plates that constituted its bulky body, its energy core still boiled with life and the shape of well hidden weaponry was mildly easy to spot.

John leveled his rifle immediately, the six eyes in the lion-like head focused on him. Silver elongated plates of its body bloomed around the head, making it look even bigger and threatening. John wasn't afraid of it, but its dead orange stare sure had an unnerving aura.

Its stylized and barely human face lit up in orange from beneath the plates.

"I ALMOST HAD LOST ALL HOPE, AFTER SO MANY FAILURES."

The droid ended its statement with a sound as sweet as children's laughter.

The Chief felt Sigrid's invasion in his head when she touched his elbow to speak privately: _"Subject Eleven forgot to mention this little friend. It's an incredibly outdated sentry drone, limited AI but very little patience and quite the firepower. If you're going to piss it off, let me know first."_

 _"How dangerous is it?"_ John asked, using the link.

_"It's really ancient and somewhat damaged, but still deadly. Two plasma cannons at least, who knows how many other surprises. The two of us together have a seventy-six percent chance of taking it down with minor injuries."_

_"This is the closest thing to a terminal we've found so far."_

Sigrid hesitated, but complied: _"I understand. On your mark?"_

_"Affirmative."_

"YOU HAVE WHAT IS NEEDED. YOU MIGHT BE THE ONE." the creature kept talking, unaware of what was going on before its armored paws. "BUT FIRST, YOU WILL GIVE ME MY ANSWER."

John's head snapped towards the Sphynx when heard that.

He forced Sigrid to let go of his elbow and faced the creature, ready to fire.

"I'm looking for the Bridge of this installation." the Chief said. "Take me there."

"ONLY IF YOU ANSWER TRUE."

For not being a monitor, the thing sure talked like one.

John tilted his head up instead of saying anything, which pretty much meant that he was ready to hear the rest.

All the floating pieces of the gigantic drone started to shift around its own bulk, some folding over each other, some breaking in smaller parts. The creature _shrunk_ slowly as it moved closer to its prey, first on four legs, then on three and finally on two, and the plates of its body kept moving until the overall shape resembled a tall human figure. Sigrid gripped her weapon tighter between her artificial fingers and took a step to the side, since the creature was focused on the Chief and the Chief alone, as far as she could conclude.

The Sphynx had now turned into a silvery but _perfect replica_ of the SPARTAN in olive green and black. The angry-orange iridescent faceplate faced John eye to eye, less than a yard apart from him.

The Chief didn't take a step back, on the contrary, he just waited quietly.

“THERES ONLY ONE QUESTION AND ONLY ONE ANSWER, THIS IS THE RULE.” the Sphynx said, imitating John's voice. The deep, almost growling sound rippled through the vast area echoing in every tall column. "ANSWER TRUE, AND YOU WILL HAVE ME AT YOUR SERVICE. ANSWER FALSE AND YOU WILL SHARE THE FATE OF THE FALSE RECLAIMERS. YOU HAVE ONLY TEN HEARTBEATS TO RESPOND. AND YOU HAVE ONLY ONE ATTEMPT."

Now, that was interesting...

"Is that also a rule?" John dared to ask.

"AS IT WAS WRITTEN IN MY CODE. ARE YOU READY TO GIVE ME MY ANSWER?"

The Master Chief didn't hesitate: "Shoot."

"TELL US, RECLAIMER." the creature demanded again, and then, its helmeted head shifted slightly to the side, almost in an innocent gesture full of curiosity or perhaps arrogance. "WHAT IS _THE NAME OF THY FATHER_?"

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

Eleven and Linda made it to what seemed to be the end of the cavernous area, a pair of massive blast doors awaited them. They'd been walking without real sense of direction for so long that they had to make sure that those were real doors and not some twisted mirage.

Attached to the wall next to the doors, there was a sensor pad of some sort. He ran to the doors and tinkered with the pad, while Linda approached slowly and kept an eye on the surroundings. She was a little worried about her team-mates but managed to keep herself composed, after all, Linda-058 was a prime soldier with or without a team. She was absolutely sure that the Master Chief, Kelly and Fred were capable of taking care of themselves, they were top SPARTANS as well. What worried Linda the most was her lost SRS and the nuclear mines she didn't have at hand.

_How was she supposed to do the job she came here to do?_

She had to figure out something else, quickly. She was a resourceful soldier.

"Are we close to the Bridge?"

"I wish. This is just a door between areas, unfortunately."

Linda sighed. "Do you even know _how far are we_ from the Bridge?"

Eleven turned to look at her, the angry-red lines along his black armor flared.

"I know better than lying to an armed SPARTAN, so..." he started.

He shrugged and turned again to work with the pad. Seconds or minutes flew by as he tapped and tapped into it but only received red signs for response. Eleven growled under his breath. Since the system wasn't on the mood to be cooperative, he smashed his fist on the wall, cracking the display into a dozen pieces. A burst of sparks erupted from the pad as the red lights died out.

"What are you doing!?" Linda cried out, startled.

"My bad, the doors are now open." Eleven answered, facing her as he picked up the gun from his hip and sprouted a long black blade from his other wrist. "Weapons ready, we might have company."

The tall, silvery double doors buzzed and then slid apart, opening, revealing other pair of doors equally thick behind them. The space resembled an airlock. The other pair of doors slid open too, slowly.

"You mean, like **_that_**?"

Linda leveled her gun with both hands, way up Eleven's head, and quickly placed one shot exactly in the center of each of the drone's six orange eyes. A wave of some strange energy combed the area, touching both Eleven and the SPARTAN with its amber hue, and then retreated. The creature tilted its head back and produced a sound so loud that it pierced through flesh and bone, a deep, metallic screech.

When Eleven finally laid eyes on the enemy, he took a few steps back.

"Not what I was expecting!" he said, both hands on the grip of his weapon.

"SCAN COMPLETED. GENETIC MAKEUP FORTY-FOUR PERCENT AND TWENTY-SEVEN PERCENT MATCH. GENETIC MAKEUP NOT APPROVED."

The construct stood up again on its four articulated legs, as if the gunshots had been nothing. It was titanic, thick and exuded heat from its boiling energy core. Eleven had seen it before and he'd been smart enough to avoid the vigilant of the Fortress. _The silver Sphynx_. But that was all he knew about this sentry drone, allegedly one of the oldest inhabitants of the Fortress and probably, one of the deadliest.

"YOU ARE NOT A RECLAIMER. YOU CANNOT GIVE ME MY ANSWER."

The plates covering the Sphynx's chest moved aside revealing a set of white-hot cannons looking for a target to vaporize. The lion-like head of the drone shifted again, absorbing the broken oculars and replacing them with brand new ones.

Linda checked the counter of her gun: half a magazine ready to fire. Eleven did a fine job with the refinement of their weapons, hardened receivers and muzzled barrels to provide maximum range and overall thirty-seven percent less recoil, very powerful and accurate shots. Very limited too, since most of the spare anti-HARPY ammo was lost with the Pelican, which they still hadn't found.

Good thing that she was a gifted sharpshooter, then.

She shot again and again, and with each shot the sentry drone took a step back but it did not fall and the cannons didn't stop getting ready to fire. The beast wasn't going to stop, that was a given.

"How do I kill it?" Linda asked, eventually.

"You happen to carry a set of plasma cannons in your pocket?"

She turned to look at Eleven, mildly angry.

But she dropped the sidearm and ran away into the cyan-hued darkness, looking for the cover of the crystalline columns, just as he did. The first blast of the powerful twin energy cannons followed them very, very close...

 

**[ERROR] DATE UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] LOCATION UNREADABLE**

**[ERROR] standard time unreadable**

 

" _Tell us, Reclaimer; what is the name of thy father?"_

John chose to remain silent, since he wasn't sure if the machine would take any of his words as an answer or if it required a basic phrasing structure to consider an answer. Alas, Subject Nine said he shouldn't give the Sphynx any kind of response, for the valid keyword was lost with the metarch she deactivated.

He didn't even remember the name of his father, but even if he did, John was sure that it wasn't the correct answer. He could try 'Forerunners', just a thought. That drone had been waiting for someone who, clearly, wasn't John-117, no matter how much his genetic makeup matched the right Reclaimer.

If he had known that at the same moments the rest of his squad was being attacked by similar sentry drones, he would've shot the Sphynx down until it was just a collage of holes and smoke. Even if it didn't help at all. Instead, the Master Chief faced the beast to keep it distracted, meanwhile Sigrid walked away from them waiting for John's signal to open fire and later on, do her part.

The construct, now morphed into a silver replica of John's armor, insisted:

“ANSWER, RECLAIMER. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THY FATHER?”

It wasn't a riddle, it was just a password.

Without the appropriate counter-response, there was no way to crack it.

But it came out of nowhere, a gentle voice on the back of his head that made his spine shiver. The voice somewhat sounded like Cortana and the memory of her made John close his eyes for a few heartbeats, trying to hold on to her. It was telling him that _the rule was everything that mattered_.

Then he found himself thinking about the rule.

_One question._

_One answer._

_One attempt._

He hadn't realized that the countdown was on and close to end.

But when he noticed what he was doing, it was too late:

**_'What is the name of thy father?'_ **

“The same as my son’s.” John said out loud and out of the blue.

Sigrid stopped dead on the act of placing a foot in front of the other, and turned to look at him, alarmed. Even the Sphynx stood very still. For a while, nothing happened as the red-orange faceplate of the drone flared in different shades of the same color as the response was being processed (an eternity for an advanced AI such as Sigrid); in the end, the construct tilted its head up, in an angry gesture:

“AND WHAT IS THE NAME OF THY SON?” it demanded.

John felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

 _'Gotcha.'_ he thought.

“You said one question, one answer, one attempt, ten heartbeats. I answered, you can’t ask me again. Now, let me access the mainframe or kill me.”

The silvery SPARTAN replica recoiled, taking a step back. It twisted its head in a strange angle, the plates covering its chest cracked and parted revealing glimpses of the boiling core beneath them.

“YOU MOCK ME.”

John took a step forward. “I gave you an answer.”

The drone roared with a voice made of many voices and animal screeches.

“YOU MOCK ME! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN MY INSTALLATION!”

"Figured as much."

The Chief leveled his rifle, finger already placed on the trigger, when Sigrid called out his attention:

"Wait! Something is going on!"

"YOU MOCK ME." the creature repeated, its fingers twitching. "YOU M-M-M-M-M-M-M..."

The voice got lost in a choir of rabid screams and curses.

John looked back at the Sphynx again as its body's shape started to shift; it was crawling backwards and morphing into its original form, screaming that same sentence over and over again about being mocked. Somewhere along the way, the Sphynx started to glitch, its half-fused articulated limbs shaking out of control, and it suddenly froze, its six dead eyes staring into the nothing beyond the Master Chief. Orange arches of raging electricity ran through the silvery plates but the creature didn't move again.

Sigrid approached quickly, keeping her weapon forward.

She examined the twisted drone for a few seconds, touching it carefully with her free hand, caressing with her armored fingers the still plates, letting the energy and the information penetrate her own system.

The AI retreated her arm in mild confusion, almost staggering.

"Sigrid, report?" John encouraged her.

"It crashed. Its programmed logic couldn't outsmart itself and your tricky answer made the whole system crash." Sigrid said, her voice sounded dubious. "How did you know what to say?"

John shrugged a little. "I didn't, it was a lucky shot."

Sigrid tilted her head to the side, now amused.

"Whether it was a lucky shot or not, you just got ourselves a terminal, Master Chief." she commented, as her fingers decomposed into a million small black pearls and crawled into every crevice of the frozen drone. "Let me see if I can use it to find the end of this labyrinth and the rest of our team."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

 

-chuckle- Oh, John, you lucky bastard.

Okay, let's not make a fuss over the two "missed" updates, shall we?

I am a person that works more than a writer right now. I will try to update again soon; the keyword here is TRY, because as I said a few chapters back, this is the busiest season of my year and until Christmas isn't over, the madness isn't over either (no, I don't work on retail). I get home at 7 PM very tired and sometimes I don't even want to see a computer, but I find myself more compelled to write during weekends, so that's it: the updates will be whenever I can to bring you a new episode.

**Meanwhile, let me know what you think of today's update. See you next time, Marines :) And thanks so much for the patience and for keeping me company, free hugs for everyone!**


	39. PSA: NOT DONE WITH Y'ALL YET

This is a message to calm down a lot of anonymous askers that have been wandering around my Tumblr and leaving worried messages in my other ongoing story, TAKE ME WHEN YOU NEED ME (TMWYNM). Since I have no direct way to contact you, I chose to write another PSA over here, to give you some peace of mind. 

I know what you're thinking. Some of you are thinking 'she ditched this cool story to write porn, way to go', and I bet many of you are disappointed because you don't dig or plainly reject stories like TMWYNM, but let me tell you that's not all that there is to my hiatus on RECOMPOSE -and I can tell you, there's so much more to TMWYNM than just 'porn', but if you're dumb enough to not get the underline of it all, then you deserve to be left thinking that I just write 'porn', alright-. It's not news to anyone that I became hugely disappointed myself with the storyline of Halo 5 and yeah, I have to blame it all on 343 and their poor executive decisions. Some people complained about how lame the story of Halo 4 had been, some other people complained about how naked Cortana was, and this time 343 felt like they had to make up for it and threw away good storytelling in exchange for SJW propaganda layered with a bunch of broken promises and misleading advertising. Because they plainly lied to us, throwing a huge marketing campaign full of stuff that never really happened or were hinted about in-game, or wasn't even related. Did anyone else get the feeling that Halo 5 was completely unrelated -in terms of narrative content- to everything we saw and listened to before the game's release? 

Well, it was a massive let down for me, despite the little good bits. And I still think that 'massive' is a small word to define what I've been feeling. 

From my perspective, it didn't come out well. As I've said many times, I don't dislike the premise of an evil Cortana -either still rampant or maybe infected by some Domain-native virus, that could've been great in so many, many ways- but this wasn't the way to develop it, or even to approach it. 

So you can blame me for losing interest in completing this story, go ahead. I was filled by an intense feeling of loathing whenever I thought about keep writing it. I wanted to know what Halo 5 would bring because I wanted to tie the end of RECOMPOSE with the beginning of Halo 5, and I wanted to do something good with it. And if what I'm saying didn't give you any hints yet on how RECOMPOSE was supposed to end, pardon my french but then you're all more naive than I thought :P the biggest spoiler of them all has been there in the story's summary for two years now. I had an idea, a very good idea, about how to end RECOMPOSE and tie with Halo 5. It was going to be a gloriously sad and angsty ending, but somewhat a perfect link between unofficial fanfiction and the official source. It was a pretentious idea, of course, but it excited me. Turns out that after all this time, after my thoughts on the matter laid still at the bottom of a lake of uncertainties for a long while, I came to say 'fuck it'. 

Yes, fuck it. RECOMPOSE will have another ending, an ending you all will be proud of. Shorter than the originally intended ending but I'm sure that it will be more satisfying to you, my fellow loyal readers and friends. We've been here for ages, it's about time I repay your patience with everything you deserve and more. Or the next best thing to it, because I am aware I cannot please everyone. Thank you for your immense patience, I'll say it again. I'll say it always. You guys received me so well into this fandom, my life changed so much since I discovered Halo -mostly for good-, that I simply cannot turn my back on you… at least I never intended to do it permanently. This is my most successful fanfic ever -in terms of hits, not in terms of reviews- and that being the first one I write in English, so be certain that I’m not going to abandon it, ffs.

 Alright, alright. Think of this as an apology or as a small treat to keep you distracted and calm for a while longer, whatever; I can promise you it will be worth the wait. 

TMWYNM has about 5 chapters left, if I did my numbers right. Maybe 6 if I get some other good idea in-between, as it usually happens with me. So give or take 5-6 more months. Be sure that once I'm done with the porn, RECOMPOSE's hiatus will be over. We're obviously not going back to weekly updates like before, because I can't do that anymore, but at least there will be updates and eventually, closure. I apologize about that too.

  _So let's finish this goddamn fight, that way I can move on and wait for Halo 6 in peace._


End file.
